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[color=808080][color=a4ded2][b]#a4ded2[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/NI221YU][color=808080][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=54998e][b]#54998e[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/Blt81n8][color=808080][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=c7b29b][b]#c7b29b[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/JcBxNzm][color=808080][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [b]around camp > arena[/b][/color]
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[indent][indent][indent][indent][justify][color=808080]The snow fell in slow spirals, soft as sleep and just as heavy. It clung to the pines like frostbitten lace, muffling every sound until even their footsteps seemed hesitant to disturb the silence. Katryna tucked her chin deeper into her scarf, the fabric pressed against the small, warm weight curled around her neck. Opal’s white fur blended perfectly with the snow, only the cat’s faintly twitching tail betraying her presence. Kat adjusted the scarf carefully to keep her still tucked in.

The forest smelled of cold stone and pine resin. Her breath came out in thin clouds that vanished before she could even see them properly. The air was so cold it stung her lungs, but she didn’t complain. Kacper was already doing enough of that for both of them. Snow sifted quietly through the dark of the early morning, a slow, sliver of silence that seemed to hush even the forest itself. She glanced sideways at her twin, reaching up to rub beneath Opal’s chin for a moment, earning a loud purr for her efforts.

Kacper trudged ahead of her, boots crunching through the snow like he was punishing the ground for existing. He carried both of their bags, his slung over one shoulder, hers strapped tightly to his back. The straps dug into his coat, but he said nothing about it, which for Kacper meant he was probably very aware of it. The twin of Opal, Onyx, was little more than a sleek shadow draped across the top of his backpack. The black cat’s blue eyes popped against the frost covered landscape around them, seemingly unbothered by the cold. 

[color=A4DED2]“You know,”[/color] Kat murmured, breaking the silence, [color=A4DED2]“I could carry my own bag.”[/color]

He shot her a look over his shoulder—flat, unimpressed, and sharp enough to cut through the frost. [color=54998E]“And ruin my fun? Not a chance.”[/color]

She smiled faintly, though her temples throbbed. The ache behind her eyes had started the moment they stepped off the bus that had dropped them at the end of the narrow, tree-choked road. It wasn’t just the lack of sleep, though that never helped. It was that odd, humming tension, the kind that prickled in her bones before something changed. Something she could never quite see, only feel. [color=A4DED2]“You hate hiking,”[/color] she teased gently.

[color=54998E]“I hate [i]cold[/i] hiking,”[/color] he corrected, his voice muffled as he rubbed a hand across his face. [color=54998E]“I hate cold, and I hate hiking before sunrise. Together, it’s my personal version of Tartarus.”[/color]

Kat snorted, the sound fogging in the frozen air. [color=A4DED2]“You sound like a cat who got locked out in the snow.”[/color]

[color=54998E]“I [i]am[/i] a cat who got locked out in the snow,”[/color] he muttered. [color=54998E]“Except this cat has to carry luggage, and babysit his sister, while trudging through a Greek forest that looks like it belongs in Siberia.”[/color] She rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. Her brother’s sarcasm was a kind of comfort, it meant he was still steady, still [i]him,[/i] even with everything that had changed. If Kacper ever stopped making dry comments, [i]then[/i] she’d know something was wrong.

[color=54998E]“This is ridiculous,”[/color] he grumbled after a few moments of stretching silence. [color=54998E]“A… what? Three mile hike. In snow. Uphill. Who builds a secret camp for demigods and doesn’t spring for a driveway?”[/color]

Kat smiled faintly, the corners of her lips trembling with the effort. [color=A4DED2]“Maybe it’s part of the test.”[/color] Melantha had alluded to the idea of some sort of impending test when she’d sent them off to the camp, but their mentor was always so… vauge. It was hard to tell if they were already being tested, or if it hadn’t begun yet. 

[color=54998E]“What test? Surviving frostbite?”[/color] His voice was sharp, but beneath it was that familiar edge of worry—the one he didn’t think she’d notice. Kacper always made his concern sound like irritation. It was his way of holding the world at arm’s length. 

Her head was starting to pound, the dull ache blooming behind her eyes, pressing against her temples. She blinked against it, trying to focus on the trail winding between the trees. Her vision wavered slightly, just for a moment. The snow seemed to shimmer, shapes flickering at the edge of her sight—-shadows that weren’t shadows, whispers curling like fog between the branches. [i]Were they close to someone sleeping?[/i] When she blinked again, it was gone. She shook her head gently, regretting it immediately as pain rippled behind her eyes.

[color=54998E]“Kat?”[/color] Kacper’s tone softened, still gruff but touched with that familiar note of concern. [color=54998E]“You good?”[/color]

[color=A4DED2]“Fine,”[/color] she lied, not looking at him. [color=A4DED2]“Just tired.”[/color]

He gave her a skeptical look over his shoulder. Lying to him was pointless, but it wouldn’t do for them both to have headaches. [color=54998E]“You’re always tired.”[/color]

[color=A4DED2]“That’s kind of my thing,”[/color] she said with a small, crooked smile. He huffed like a dog not receiving enough attention, but Kas let the subject drop. Onyx stretched lazily across the bag, yawning in perfect sync with his owner’s harsh exhale. Opal’s tiny white paw flexed against Kat’s neck in reply, her warmth radiating faintly through the scarf. The forest grew steeper as they climbed. Snow gathered in the folds of Kacper’s scarf, clung to Kat’s lashes. The world felt both too bright and too quiet, the kind of stillness that made you afraid to breathe too loudly. Kat tried to distract herself from the pressure building in her skull by talking. [color=A4DED2]“Do you think he’s watching us right now?”[/color] she asked softly. [color=A4DED2]“Father, I mean.”[/color]

Kacper’s boots crunched harder in the snow. His resentment toward Hypnos had not gone unchecked, he blamed the God for their childhood in the orphanage perhaps more so than he blamed their mother, whoever she was.[color=54998E]“If he is, he could at least send a blanket. Or a ride.”[/color]

[color=A4DED2]“I meant—-”[/color] she hesitated. [color=A4DED2]“Not like that. I just… I keep feeling like he’s there. In the air somehow. Watching us through the trees.”[/color]

He didn’t answer right away, but Kat could see the muscles in his jaw flex. This was a touchy subject, and she knew it was akin to poking a bear, but where Kacper would snap at anyone else for pursuing the topic, he controlled himself with her. [color=54998E]“That’s comforting,”[/color] he said finally, tone dry as the frost. [color=54998E]“The [i]God—-”[/i][/color] there was a mocking edge to his voice, [color=54998E]“—of sleep working as a forest security camera.”[/color]

Despite herself, Kat laughed. It was quiet, brittle, but real. The sound melted a bit of the tension in the air. The trees began to thin as the path wound further onward. The early light, pale and weak, filtered through the canopy, glinting on the frost. Kat’s boots slipped once, and Kacper reached back automatically, steadying her with a gloved hand. He didn’t even look at her, just grunted softly and kept walking. She smiled again, petting Opal.

They walked in silence for a while after that, the wind whispering through the trees around them. Somewhere far off, a bird called once and fell quiet. Kat’s breath came in short bursts; her lungs ached, head pounding, fingers stiff in the cold. Her thoughts drifted, back to Szczecin, to Green Manor orphanage, to the polished marble halls of their adoptive father’s estate, to Melantha and her soft words. [color=d6d6d6][i]”Your real father is someone very old,”[/i][/color] she’d said when they’d invited her in after that first day, eyes flickering like candlelight. [color=d6d6d6][i]”Someone who deals in dreams.”[/i][/color]

Katryna had laughed then. Kacper hadn’t.

Now, trudging through snow toward some secret camp in the mountains of Greece, the idea didn’t seem so funny anymore. By the time they reached the clearing, the sky had turned pale gold over the peaks. The air was sharp with cold, but the scent of pine was clean and bright. Before them stood a tall gate. Kas set her bag down in front of the entrance, breathing hard. [color=54998E]“Finally,”[/color] he muttered, rubbing his gloved hands together. [color=54998E]“If this place doesn’t have heated cabins, I’m turning around.”[/color]

Kat stepped forward, squinting at the gate, surprised to find… a fingerprint scanner. The words beneath it read: [i]biometric scanner.[/i] Kacper raised an eyebrow. [color=54998E]“Seems secure. What happens if it doesn’t recognize us?”[/color]

[color=A4DED2]“Then we go home”[/color] Kat said softly, her breath ghosting against the air.

She hesitated a moment, tugging off her glove from one hand, the weight of the forest pressing around them. Her eyelids felt heavy, always heavy—but there was something else there now, something curling behind her vision. A flicker of something she couldn’t quite see. A door. A flash of golden light. A whisper: [i]Welcome home.[/i] Someone was most certainly dreaming, quite close if she had a guess, multiple people, probably. That would get frustrating fast. She pressed her thumb to the scanner. It flared white for a second, then green, and then it clicked. Kacper exhaled. [color=54998E]“Guess we’re invited.”[/color] 

Kat smiled faintly, though her eyes were distant. [color=A4DED2]“Yeah,”[/color] she whispered. [color=A4DED2]“I guess we are.”[/color] They stepped forward together, twins, half-awake, half-dreaming, as the gates closed softly behind them. The forest had swallowed sound, but here, in the open clearing, everything seemed to exhale. The air was sharp, full of woodsmoke and pine, and it burned her lungs when she tried to catch her breath.

The camp spread before them in muted shades of brown, black, and white. Cabins crouched sporadically throughout the camp, some roofs sagging beneath the weight of fresh snow. Smoke drifted from a few chimneys, and the faint orange glow of light flickered behind frosted windows as they passed. Through the camp, paths wound like faded scars through the snow—worn, trampled, lived-in. Kat’s boots sank into the slush with a wet crunch. Every step made her head pound harder, a slow, throbbing pulse behind her right eye that had grown heavier with time. Now, with the cold pressing in, it felt like the world was vibrating, snow, air, heartbeat, all at once. 

She could hear voices somewhere beyond the nearest cabin, laughter carried thinly through the wind. The sound didn’t seem entirely real, nothing here did despite how mundane it appeared to the naked eye. The camp felt old, older than the trees around it, older than the snow that blanketed it, and though it looked half asleep beneath winter’s weight. Something about it hummed quietly, like a chord struck low and waiting to resolve. Katryna had imagined something warmer, brighter; heroes in training, golden campfires, maybe a banner flapping in the wind. Instead, there was only this; cold breath, aching muscles, and a silence that seemed to be listening. 

There was also a stand with maps on it. 

Katryna stepped up to the wooden stand, taking in how the structure leaned slightly, as if it too, had weathered too many winters. Her fingers brushed away a dusting of snow, revealing a layout of the camp beneath cabins marked by small house shapes, paths like veins winding between them, a lake smudged in pale blue ink at the far edge. Kacper stepped up beside her, squinting. [color=54998E]“Looks like we’re somewhere near the center,”[/color] he murmured, tapping one of the labels. His voice felt too loud in the quiet, swallowed quickly by the cold air.

[color=A4DED2]“Guess we’re supposed to pick one?”[/color] Katryna asked, uncertain. Her head still throbbed, the dull ache pressing behind her eyes as she traced one of the paths with her finger.

As her fingertip slid across the parchment, she winced, the bare tips of her ungloved hand brushing the map. For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then, the ink shimmered faintly beneath her touch, as if the lines themselves were breathing. The cabin her finger rested on, one tucked near the further treeline across the camp, darkened, its outline deepening until a single word appeared where none had been before:

[i]Katryna.[/i]

Her breath hitched. [color=A4DED2]“Kacper, did you see that?”[/color] He leaned in, frowning. Then, with the kind of grin that always managed to look both reckless and reassuring, he pressed his pointerfinger to the map beside her own. The ink rippled again, and the neighboring cabin flared softly before resolving into a new label: 


[i]Kacper.[/i]

The twins exchanged a glance. The moment hung heavy and strange, like the world had just acknowledged them, claimed them. [color=54998E]“Guess we’ve got our places,”[/color] Kacper said finally, his tone lighter than his eyes. Katryna nodded, folding the edge of her scarf higher over her face as the wind picked up, mindful of Opal. They followed one of the narrow paths carved through the snow, their boots sinking deep into the slush. The sound of the camp grew and faded around them.  

When they reached the cabins, the world seemed to hold its breath. Katryna’s new home stood with its slanted roof dusted in white powder, a thin curl of smoke rising from the chimney, dark windows reflective and cool like still water. Beside it, Kacper’s cabin looked smaller, a perfect triangle with a roof snow slid from easily, though its window flickered with a faint, uncertain light—as if it was waking up to them, lacking the reflective edge of Kat’s.

She wondered if there was something more magical at play here, if the cabins somehow reflected the owner on some level. They hesitated outside of them, silence filling the spaces around the twins, when a door to a nearby cabin clicked open quietly, a bark cut through the peace they’d tricked themselves into feeling, and their eyes slid to follow the noise. 

[color=c7b29b]"I’ll be back. I promise,"[/color] Sloane reassured Rocco through the crack in her door as she tried to slip out. The pup was less than thrilled at the prospect of being left behind in the cabin without her. Since he came into her care after Liam left he has been at her side… for everything. It never really crossed her mind that at some point she’d have to leave him behind in her cabin. She did her best to make him a snuggly nest of pillows and blankets on her bed, set out some water, gave him a bone, and even played some calming music on the little bluetooth speaker on her nightstand. But in the end, even with all the additional comforts, he still looked at her through the window like she was abandoning him forever. 

[color=c7b29b]"[i]Aww[/i], don’t look at me like that."[/color] She hurried back inside, giving him one last kiss and pet good bye… for the seventh time. Then, before it could break her heart more, Sloane slipped out the door without looking back. There were a couple muffled barks that followed her as she hurried down the snow dusted path, but once she rounded the corner, disappearing out of sight behind some trees, Rocco grew silent. 

Sloane stopped in her tracks, standing in the intersection of diverging trails as she took a deep breath and ran her hands over her face. How people left their pets behind at home everyday to go to work, she’d never understand. In the few seconds she took to compose herself and fight the urge to go back and bring Rocco with her, she had the growing feeling that she was being watched. Her fingers brushed back from her temples, pushing loose hairs out of her face as she looked around until her gaze fell on a pair of unfamiliar faces staring at her from down the path. She waved her hand awkwardly at her side while the corners of her mouth tugged into a tight lipped smile.

At first, Sloane took a step forward having had her fill of ‘welcome committee’ duties for the next… [i]eternity[/i], but as she went to continue forward her attention fell to the bags they were carrying. Her eyes closed, sucking in a sharp breath as she steeled her nerves to actually initiate a conversation. She was starting to wonder if this was some cruel joke of Eris’s for her not praying or something. [i]Well, I’m still not going to,[/i] she told herself or her mother… if she was somehow listening.

With a soft sigh that left a puff of visible breath in her wake, Sloane pivoted and took a handful of steps towards the newcomers. [color=c7b29b]"Hi… [i]um[/i], I couldn’t help but notice you both are new,"[/color] she greeted them while pointing at their bags. [color=c7b29b]"There’s training in the arena in…"[/color] Her voice trailed off as she pushed up the sleeve of her coat and hoodie to check the time on her small gold watch. [color=c7b29b]"Like ten minutes."[/color] She shook her arm slightly so her large sleeves slipped back down over her hand. [color=c7b29b]"Just figured you might want to know."[/color]

[color=54998E]“Training,”[/color] Kacper repeated flatly, the word falling from his mouth like it tasted bad. He looked at the girl in front of them, shorter, bundled up, a kind of frazzled energy clinging to her like static, and then down at his boots, which were currently half-submerged in slush and snow. [color=54998E]“You’re kidding.”[/color]

Katryna winced inwardly, though she didn’t look at him, her head was pounding too hard for sharp movements. The cold felt like it had crawled behind her eyes, nesting there, pulsing in time with her heartbeat. She forced a small smile anyway, stepping forward before her brother’s tone could sour the air any further. [color=A4DED2]“What he means is… hi,”[/color] she said, her voice soft, breath fogging faintly. [color=A4DED2]“We just got here.”[/color]

Kacper snorted quietly. [color=54998E]“Literally. Like, five minutes ago. Two days on trains, a hike through Siberia Junior, and now—training.”[/color] He gestured vaguely at the camp around them, one gloved hand emerging from his pocket for all of two seconds before he stuffed it back in again. [color=54998E]“Do you people just hate warmth here, or is this some kind of initiation ritual? Heat lamps are a thing.”[/color]

The man’s prickly nature took Sloane a bit by surprise. She took a slight step back in a silent sort of guarded defensiveness. The initial bitterness in his tone reminded her faintly of her brother, finding a way to direct his frustration at anything or anyone rather than the actual cause. It disarmed her and left her on unsure footing. After all, she was just the messenger. She was the last person to want to train in the early hours of the morning. [color=c7b29b]"Well, it [i]is[/i] winter. [i]So…[/i]"[/color] she replied with a flat sarcasm, dragging out the last word as if it was answer enough. 

Kat nudged him gently with her elbow, the motion half-hearted. [color=A4DED2]“Don’t mind him,”[/color] she murmured to the other girl. Her tongue felt slow, her head heavy, words dragging slightly as she spoke. [color=A4DED2]“He gets cranky when he’s cold.”[/color]

[color=54998E]“I get cranky when I’m freezing and haven’t slept,”[/color] Kacper corrected under his breath. [color=54998E]“Or when people tell me I have to swordfight before breakfast.”[/color]

Katryna bit back a smile despite the ache behind her eyes. [color=A4DED2]“You don’t even know if it’s swordfighting,”[/color] she pointed out, voice soft, teasing in that way only siblings could manage when they were bone-tired.

[color=54998E]“It’s a demigod camp in Greece. It’s swordfighting or some redundant obstacle course,”[/color] he said dryly, tone brooking no argument. [color=54998E]“Or wrestling monsters. Or something equally stupid for someone who hasn’t had coffee.”[/color]

Sloane’s gaze bounced back and forth between the siblings as they bickered. She crossed her arms in the subtle way that made her feel a little more closed off and shielded from the bite of his ire. It wasn’t like she had any love for Camp. She fucking hated the place. Still, his annoyance with his predicament felt directed at her as the easy outlet, at least for the time being. The girl, at least, was nice and probably the only thing that kept Sloane from continuing on toward the arena while the girl’s brother had his temper tantrum. It reminded her of her and Sylas, oddly enough. Although where there seemed to be compassion behind their jabs, Sylas used her as an outlet… an emotional and physical punching bag to unleash his wrath in a [i]‘controlled’[/i] manner. But even with the guy’s shitty attitude, she found herself jealous of the relationship and ease they shared.

[color=c7b29b]"Last training was random duels. I didn’t use a sword, but if that’s your thing,"[/color] Sloane interjected with a noncommittal shrug, meeting a fraction of his sass with a far more gentle sarcasm that was laced in truth. [color=c7b29b]"Monsters would be in poor taste… All things considered."[/color] She didn’t elaborate. But considering they all had [i]just[/i] healed from Pandora’s box, throwing them up against monsters so soon just sounded… [i]cruel.[/i] 

Something about that made Kat’s head tilt ever so slightly, a strange tingle sliding down her spine. [color=54998E]“A shitty obstacle course, then.”[/color] Kacper muttered, but his sister jabbed him in the ribs harder this time, cutting him off. 

The other girl’s eyes were kind, even if she looked like she’d rather be anywhere else. The fact that she’d stopped despite cutting it so close to training meant something, but her head hurt too badly for her to quite decide what that was. [color=A4DED2]“I’m Katryna,”[/color] Kat said carefully, shifting her bag higher on her shoulder. The movement made her head spin, and she blinked hard until the white spots faded. [color=A4DED2]“This is my brother, Kacper.”[/color]

[color=54998E]“Resident optimist,”[/color] he muttered.

[color=A4DED2]“And chronic exaggerator,”[/color] she added, earning the faintest glare from him that she pretended not to see. [color=A4DED2]“We can change quickly, if you don’t mind showing us where to go? I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”[/color]

Kacper huffed a laugh that wasn’t quite friendly, seeming to give up on the idea that he could somehow get out of training. [color=54998E]“Yeah, sure. After we drop our stuff, thaw out, and regain feeling in our fingers, we’ll go play soldier or whatever.”[/color] He gave the stranger a wry look, one corner of his mouth twitching upward. [color=54998E]“Unless ‘hypothermia chic’ is the look everyone’s going for here.”[/color]

Kat shot him a sidelong glance, the kind that said [i]please stop antagonizing people before we’ve even unpacked,[/i] and turned back to Sloane with an apologetic half-smile. The wind gusted between them, carrying a sting of ice and pine. Somewhere behind her, Opal shifted beneath Kat’s scarf, a small white paw pressing against her neck in a way that made her throat tighten with warmth. She looked back at Sloane, eyes softer now despite the ache swimming behind them. Onyx stirred on Kacper’s shoulders, arching his back before perking up at the sight of a new person, eyes bright and curious. 

It wasn’t until the small black mass stretched across Kacper’s shoulders that Sloane realized it was a cat and not an extremely fluffy scarf. Her cold and guarded demeanor softened slightly at the sight of the small ball of fur and how it reminded her of Rocco. Animals were always better judges of character, at least in her experience. That, and only that, was enough for her to be a little less on edge, even if he still complained a lot. There was a second where she considered asking if she could pet it, but ended up keeping the thought to herself. 

[color=c7b29b]"I’m Sloane,"[/color] she offered up her name in response, doing her best to give Katryna a genuine smile before turning her attention toward Kacper. [color=c7b29b]"You know,"[/color] Sloane continued, shifting her weight from her left foot to the right. [color=c7b29b]"If you stopped wasting so much hot air whining, you might not be so cold."[/color] She laughed softly, finding in that moment, no matter how bitter he came off, that his attitude was nothing compared to Sylas. [i]That[/i]... she could handle.

[color=c7b29b]"Anyway,"[/color] Sloane shrugged, steering the conversation back toward the matter at hand. The ghost of a smile lingered at the corners of her mouth showing the faint air of pride at her comment. [color=c7b29b]"I can wait. I need to go apologize to my dog again for like the millionth time anyway."[/color] She pointed her thumb backwards over her shoulder in the general direction of her cabin. [color=c7b29b]"I can meet you both back here… Unless Elsa needs more time to thaw."[/color] She nodded her head toward Kacper, smile growing a fraction, before she turned around and headed back to her cabin. 

Katryna blinked after Sloane as the girl turned away, the faintest smile tugging at her lips despite the cold gnawing at her bones and the ever present pain in her head. There was something disarming about Sloane’s sarcasm, dry, almost weary, but it was tempered by the kind of warmth that didn’t need to be loud to be genuine. It made the biting wind sting a little less, and the hangman that was the approaching training session feel less daunting. Beside her, Kacper was unusually quiet for all of two seconds. His eyebrows had lifted a fraction, clearly surprised by the sharpness of Sloane’s last jab. Then, a slow grin, small but real, creased one corner of his mouth.

[color=54998E]“Huh,”[/color] he said, tone thoughtful in a way that never meant anything good. [color=54998E]“Did she just… sass me back?”[/color]

Kat let out a small, breathy laugh, her voice nearly swallowed by the wind. She lifted one hand, rubbing at her temple as she turned toward the cabins. [color=A4DED2]“Looks like someone finally met their match.”[/color]

[color=54998E]“Match?”[/color] He scoffed, feigning offense. [color=54998E]“She wishes.”[/color] His grin deepened into something far less prickly and far more amused. [color=54998E]“Though… she’s got a decent right hook. Verbally speaking.”[/color]

Katryna rolled her eyes, but there was warmth in the gesture. She adjusted her scarf higher, feeling the soft weight of Opal tucked beneath it, the kitten’s tail twitching faintly against her throat. [color=A4DED2]“Just try not to pick a fight with everyone who has a sense of humor, please.”[/color]

[color=54998E]“Me? Never.”[/color] Kacper turned slightly, watching Sloane disappear down the snowy path, then muttered under his breath with a faint smirk, [color=54998E]“Hot air, my ass.”[/color] Onyx had been watching the exchange with laser focus. The little black creature’s head tilted sharply when Sloane had laughed, ears pricking forward as if memorizing the sound. Now, as her figure vanished into the pale fog, Onyx’s muscles tensed, tail flicking in eager anticipation.

[color=54998E]“Don’t even think about it,”[/color] Kacper warned, one hand rising automatically to steady the cat as it shifted on his shoulders. [color=54998E]“You jump off, and you’re sleeping in the snow, buddy. I’m not chasing you this early.”[/color]

Onyx replied with a low, chiding chirp that, if Kacper could speak cat, would suspiciously sound like [i]you’re no fun,[/i] before curling sulkily around his neck again. Kat couldn’t help but laugh softly, even if it hurt, her voice warm against the cold air. [color=A4DED2]“He likes her.”[/color]

[color=54998E]“He likes anyone with better judgment than me,”[/color] Kacper replied dryly, though the edge in his tone had dulled, his earlier irritation tempered now into something almost lighthearted. He nodded toward the cabin doors. [color=54998E]“Come on. Elsa needs to get her frozen ass inside.”[/color]

The door to Kat’s cabin creaked open on stiff hinges, releasing a faint breath of cold, stale air. The interior was dim, none of the lights were on, the interior paint was dark, offset but lighter wood tones. It was small, but more cozy than cramped, with a dark fireplace situated in front of the bed between the large windows, the kitchen toward the back of the cabin was a comfortable size, and the bathroom was connected right off the room. Up a set of stairs seemed to be some sort of sitting room with bookshelves already filled to the brim. The windows seemed to have some sort of film on them, making the outside reflective, but the interior see-through, an added touch of privacy that reflected who Katryna was as a person.

Katryna stepped inside first, exhaling in quiet relief as she dropped her pack near the wall. Her fingers trembled slightly when she unbuttoned her coat, Opal poking her head out and mewing softly in protest at the chill. [color=A4DED2]“Sorry, sweetheart,”[/color] Kat murmured, easing the kitten into a small fleece-lined basket she’d spotted beside the hearth. [color=A4DED2]“Just a few minutes.”[/color]

Kacper, still bundled in layers, crouched by the fireplace and inspected the pile of kindling. [color=54998E]“You’d think if they made us live out here, they’d at least pre-heat the cabins,”[/color] he muttered, pulling off his gloves. His fingers were red and stiff, but practiced as he arranged the logs. A few sparks later, the fire caught, crackling softly, painting the room in orange warmth that chased away some of the cabin’s gloom.

Kat watched the flames build, the reflection flickering in her eyes. The warmth began to thaw the ache behind her temples, though her exhaustion still hummed just beneath her skin. [color=A4DED2]“You always did like playing hero with matches,”[/color] she teased lightly, her voice quieter now, gentler. It reminded her of the orphanage, how the matriarch wouldn’t light the fires for the children in their rooms once they’d reached a certain age, nor would she teach them. Kas had always insisted on lighting it for their room, he’d get mad at her if she even tried.

[color=54998E]“Someone’s gotta keep us from becoming popsicles,”[/color] Kacper shot back, though there was no bite to it. He straightened, brushing soot from his hands, and glanced toward her with a faint grin. [color=54998E]“Besides, it’ll warm up your cabin for when you get back.”[/color]

Kat smiled faintly, tugging off her gloves and rubbing her hands together before moving toward her bag. The sound of the fire filled the silence between them, soft and steady. His admission made her chest feel warm, no matter how much they snapped at one another, Kacper cared deeper than he’d even admit aloud, showing it in the smallest, most thoughtful gestures.

[color=A4DED2]“She said she’d wait,”[/color] she reminded him after a moment, glancing toward the door. [color=A4DED2]“Try not to scare her off before then.”[/color]

[color=54998E]“Who, me?”[/color] He gave her an exaggerated look of innocence that didn’t fool her for a second. [color=54998E]“Please. I’m a delight. Go get changed.”[/color]

[color=A4DED2]“You’re a headache,”[/color] Katryna corrected, smiling despite herself as she tugged out a pair of fleece lined leggings, moving toward the bathroom to change out of her jeans.

Kacper chuckled, low and warm, as the firelight caught on the sharp edge of his grin. [color=54998E]“Same thing.”[/color] He pulled out sweatpants from his own bag once the bathroom door had shut, changing into them and a hoodie quickly, careful to fold his clothes into a neat pile by his bag. 

A few short minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom. Kacper was already outside, so she took a second to offer soft apologies and promises to the cats that were staring at her expecentally. 

Back in Sloane’s cabin she peppered Rocco’s face with kisses and muttered apologies for disturbing him the second he managed to settle and get comfortable with her gone. Meanwhile her tiny little Keurig burbled and roared as it brewed a second steaming cup of coffee. It was a special happenstance that she had a stock of those shitty cardboard coffee cups in her cabin that she stole from the main hall. She kept them on standby for the early mornings or late nights she had to take Rocco on a walk in the freezing cold. It wasn’t really her goal when she came back to her cabin, but seeing her Keurig tucked away in the corner on her small table triggered the thought. If the Gods or fate felt the need to make her a camp counselor she could at least be helpful and she knew if she had just hiked up the mountain she [i]too[/i] would need coffee before training. After all, she could use some friends… Although having like ten different people thrown at her within a single day wasn’t really what she had in mind. 

After putting the lid on the second cup, Sloane dipped into her bathroom and rummaged through her medicine cabinet for her bottle of aspirin. She wasn’t a mind reader, but she knew the telltale signs of a headache and was also [i]abundantly[/i] aware of how a pain in the ass brother didn’t really help ease those aches either. She grabbed two pills, palming them, and made her way back to the table. With a little juggling, she managed to shove two granola bars in her pocket, keep ahold of the pills, and grab each of the coffees. It took some inventive coordination to get the door open but without a convenient table outside she found herself trying to hook her heel around the side of the door and pull it closed, all without falling over or dropping everything. 

She had to try a couple times and there was one incident where she almost fell over, but eventually she figured it out and got the door closed. With a satisfied sigh and head nod, Sloane made her way back down the path and around the bend toward the siblings’ cabins. When neither of them were outside yet she waited a moment or two before resolving to perch herself on the steps of one of the porches while she waited, keeping the warm coffees clutched in her chilled hands, utilizing them like two little heaters. 

Kacper had just finished tugging on his boots when he caught movement through the frosted window, a familiar figure settling herself on the porch steps outside, two paper cups steaming between her hands. The sight startled him more than it should have. Kindness, from a stranger. It had weight to it. The kind of weight he didn’t quite know where to put. He’d grown up in a place where people learned early to count what was theirs–food, space, warmth, safety, and to keep it close in order to safeguard it. The orphanage hadn’t been cruel by design, but it had taught him everything he needed to know about the world; that survival was a competition, and generosity was just another way to end up cold and empty-handed.

You learn fast, in places like that. You learn that no one’s coming to save you, and that love, when it exists, is an accident of proximity, not a promise. Kat had been his only exception. Then their adopted father, the man who took them in, who saw past the hard edges they’d already begun to grow. But everyone else? They were just the blur of faces that came and went, too busy trying to keep their own heads above water.

And yet, here was Sloane. Coffee in both hands, cheeks red from the cold, doing something no one had asked her to. No angle, no debt, no trade. Just… offering warmth because she could.

It made him uneasy, that kind of softness. Like standing somewhere the ground might give way. Maybe she was just being polite. Maybe this was nothing. But a small, treacherous part of him,  the part that hadn’t completely frozen over, wondered if this was what people meant when they talked about good intentions.

[i]Maybe,[/i] he thought, [i]not everyone was built to bite first.[/i]

He exhaled through his teeth, the sound half a laugh, half a surrender. Kat was still inside somewhere behind him, getting dressed in the bathroom, so he slipped out to mingle of his own volition, for once. The air bit instantly at his fingers, he’d left his gloves on the table beside his sister’s scarf, but he ignored it, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets instead.

[color=54998E]"Tell me one of those is for me, before I start calling you a saint and start believing in miracles."[/color] He said in lieu of greeting, kicking the door shut behind him so the heat wouldn’t escape the cabin. 

Sloane’s mind started to wander as she waited, fingers lightly tapping against the sides of the cups while she bounced her legs to keep some of her blood circulating. Somewhere lost in her thoughts—questioning how many more new campers she was going to have to give a shitty orientation to or trying to decide what she’d say if she ran into Ace—she missed the door opening. The sound of a voice coming from behind her made her start slightly. She shook her head at her own jumpiness as she got up and turned to face Kacper, standing a few stairs lower than him. She held out one of the cups toward him, the corner of her mouth faintly tugging into a timid smile. [color=c7b29b]"It can be our secret. I’d hate for people to think you’re friendly,"[/color] she teased softly. 

When she offered him the cup, he accepted it with both hands, savoring the brief burn of heat seeping through the cardboard. He tilted it slightly in mock reverence. [color=54998E]"Bless you, oh merciful caffeine saint. Truly, you’ve saved a life today."[/color] He took a sip, and made a low sound that was half-groan, half-laugh. [color=54998E]"Okay, maybe I take back half of what I said earlier. Just half, though, I’ve got a reputation to keep. If someone thinks I’m nice, I might spontaneously combust."[/color] 

Some of the tension that had tightened across her shoulders eased as a soft, but genuine, chuckle fell from her lips creating fleeting clouds in the space between them. She raised an index finger and crossed an X over her heart. [color=c7b29b]"My lips are sealed as long as you don’t start telling people I’m actually [i]social.[/i]"[/color] Sloane’s voice dropped slightly as if it was a secret and someone could eavesdrop… Like the trees or the wind. [color=c7b29b]"I just got the whole [i]loner[/i] thing figured out,"[/color] she joked, poking fun at her own solitude. In reality she didn’t really [i]enjoy[/i] being as lonely as she was, but the 180 her life had taken in the past 24 hours was throwing her in a tail spin. Her social batteries could only handle so much and they hadn’t even gotten the chance to fully recover from the night before.

[color=c7b29b]"I didn’t realize how much having a dog was going to force me to be social,"[/color] she mused, nodding her head to the side with a little shrug. It took a second or two for her mind to fully catch up to what she said. Her eyes squinted as she pursed her lips slightly. [color=c7b29b]"[i]And[/i] he’s not even here."[/color] She laughed at her own stupidity, clicked her tongue, then lightly kicked the toe of her shoe against the step. [color=c7b29b]"Guess he’s rubbing off on me."[/color]

Kacper huffed a laugh, quiet but real this time, the kind that came more from the chest than the throat. The sound misted faintly between them, caught in the pale air before dissolving. [color=54998E]"Yeah, I get that,"[/color] he said, shifting the cup between his hands and he rolled his eyes fondly. [color=54998E]"My cat’s the same way. Onyx thinks every living thing exists to adore him—people, birds, probably even the wind."[/color]

[color=c7b29b]"[i]Duh,[/i]"[/color] Sloane interjected with a dramatic but playful eye roll. [color=c7b29b]"I was [i]this[/i] close—"[/color] She squinted while holding up her index finger and thumb with the tiniest bit of space between them. [color=c7b29b]"—to asking to pet him. He could have the world if he wanted."[/color] 

He had three weaknesses that were undeniable. The first and foremost one being his sister, but the other two were undeniably Onyx and Opal. Kas supposed, privately, certainly not aloud lest Sloane develop an ego, that she really wasn't too bad after all. [color=54998E]"There’s two of them,"[/color] he said, clearly a little smug, as if trying to goad her into jealousy, his lips pulled up into a smirk. [color=54998E]"Opal blended into Kat’s scarf, so she’s harder to see. Knowing my sister, she’ll invite you over after training for tea, as thanks for the coffee. You could pet them then, I suppose."[/color] He shrugged nonchalantly, as if he weren’t planning to make the suggestion to his sister once they were out of earshot. It was good manners, after all, to repay kindness. 

[color=c7b29b]"[i]Hmm,[/i]"[/color] Sloane mused quietly, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. The prospect of an afternoon petting cats and avoiding the majority of the new crowd at camp sounded like a nice day. [color=c7b29b]"That does sound enticing."[/color] She paused. The thought of pets brought her back to Rocco and his sad face when she left him behind in her cabin. Her smile faded, gaze falling to the crescent shaped dip in the snow from her shoe. [color=c7b29b]"Rocco doesn’t do well with being left alone after—I don’t want to leave him alone too long,"[/color] she corrected herself and redirected before accidentally saying too much.

He took another sip, lips pulled up into a soft smile, letting the warmth anchor him, eyes flicking toward the cabin window where a dark shape moved behind the glass. [color=54998E]"I didn’t realize how much a pet could force you to… exist outside yourself,"[/color] he added, voice quieter now, less sharp. [color=54998E]"Half the time I’m just trying to keep up with Katryna."[/color]

A small smirk tugged at his mouth again, faint but there, as he tried to recover from sharing too much of himself too soon with a stranger, mentally berating himself and falling back on his sarcasm to cope. [color=54998E]"So yeah, guess we’re both failing the loner thing. Congratulations, you’re officially in bad company, just in case there was any doubt."[/color]

Sloane hummed, mulling over the thought as her hand slipped into her pocket. Her thoughts momentarily drifted to what it must have been like having a brother who cared for her in the way Kacper seemed to care for his sister. The concept was so foreign that the image struggled to form. Before she could even try to paint a picture of what a kind Sylas would look like, the crinkle of a foil wrapper brushed against the tip of her finger, snapping her out of it. [color=c7b29b]"Oh right,"[/color] she muttered, fishing out one of the granola bars. [color=c7b29b]"I don’t really cook or even have a kitchen,"[/color] she mentioned while holding out the small offering toward him with a guilty shrug. [color=c7b29b]"But you shouldn’t train on an empty stomach."[/color]

The steam drifted up between them, carrying a faint smell of roasted beans and something almost like peace. He looked over at her again, taking the granola bar after a moment of hesitation, as if he didn’t know what to do with so much offered kindness all at once, the smirk still there but quieter now, less armor and more habit. [color=54998E]"Guess I’m not Elsa anymore. Though I’ve still got range—I can belt out [i]Let It Go[/i] if you think it’ll get me out of training."[/color]

A quiet snort like laughter slipped out for just a fraction of a second at the thought of him—[i]or anyone[/i]—trying to get out of training with shitty Disney karaoke. Sloane cleared her throat, trying to muffle her laugh although the faint growth in her smile betrayed her. [color=c7b29b]"I’d pay to see that."[/color]

His lips twitched, his smirk taking a more playful edge, veering toward flirtatious. [color=54998E]"I’m not sure anyone has enough money to pay for that performance."[/color] He shifted his weight, and he took another sip, letting the bitter heat steady him as he prepared to do what he knew his sister would want him to. [color=54998E]"Seriously, though,"[/color] he added after a moment, voice softer. [color=54998E]"Thanks. Sorry about..."[/color] Kacper’s voice trailed off, a grimace pulling at his face, as if apologizing actually caused him some form of physical pain, and he didn’t elaborate further. 

[color=c7b29b]"You underestimate how much money I have,"[/color] Sloane rebutted with a comfortable air of levity in her tone. She was never one to flaunt her wealth, nor was she proud of the life she came from before camp, but Kacper had no way of knowing if her playful threat was a bluff or not.  

She brushed off his apology with a small wave of her hand. While it was obvious the act pained him, Sloane wasn’t going to force him to stumble through the words on her account. [color=c7b29b]"I’m tougher than I look. It’s not even the worst thing that’s happened to me in the last day."[/color] She didn’t explain the meaning behind her words. While there was a slight dourness to what she said, her tone was overall light and unbothered, like someone who was so used to living under a permanent cloud that an additional shadow was just another drop in the bucket. 

She shifted the coffee she held onto for his sister into her other hand and caught sight of the pills that were still clutched beneath her fingers. [color=c7b29b]"Oh,"[/color] Sloane added, climbing one of the steps to get slightly closer to Kacper. [color=c7b29b]"This is [i]actually[/i] why I went back to my cabin."[/color] She extended her hand toward him revealing the two pills resting in her rosy palm. [color=c7b29b]"They’re for your sister. I know a headache when I see one."[/color]

He’d snorted at her comment about money, but Kacper’s smirk faltered at her first words, the casual way she brushed off something that she’d considered [i]bad.[/i] Something in the way she said it, soft, unbothered, but heavy underneath,  made his chest twist in a way he didn’t have a name for. It reminded him too much of his sister when she was withholding things that he would argue were important to be shared. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but she was already stepping closer, holding something out to him.

When he saw the pills in her hand, it took him a second to understand. Then her words sank in.

[color=54998E]"Headache?"[/color] he echoed, brow furrowing, concern threading through the cracks of his usual sarcastic tone. [color=54998E]"She didn’t say anything."[/color] His jaw worked, throat tight. [color=54998E]"She only gets a headache before—"[/color]

He stopped himself. Too late. The words hung there between them, brittle and sharp.

The cabin door opened behind him with a slow creak that cut clean through the moment. Kat stepped out, her hair mussed from changing, her color wrong—the healthy flush from earlier drained to something wan and hollow. The warmth inside hadn’t touched her. A tissue peeked between her fingers, stained with a bright, accusing spot of red before she tucked it into her sleeve as though that could make it disappear.

[color=A4DED2]"I’m fine,"[/color] she said firmly, every syllable pressed into a strict shape of enunciation. Her voice was gentle but carried that edge, the one she used whenever she wanted to keep him from worrying. [color=A4DED2]"It’s just a headache. Stop stressing, you’ll get wrinkles."[/color] Kacper’s frown deepened, the concern in his eyes softening into something helpless. He watched as she took the pills from Sloane with careful fingers, her gratitude genuine even through the exhaustion that clung to her like frost.

[color=A4DED2]"I appreciate it,"[/color] Kat murmured, and the faint curve of her smile, though small, held warmth enough to thaw something fragile in the air between them. [color=A4DED2]"I get migraines pretty bad, sometimes, I forgot my medication at home though."[/color] 

Kacper looked between them both, the steam from his cup curling in faint, ghostlike tendrils. The tension he’d carried all those months ago when their mentor showed up on their doorstep coiled tighter beneath his ribs, though he forced a slow breath past it. He didn’t say it aloud, not in front of Sloane, but the thought echoed through him anyway, quiet and uneasy. Was it the heralding of another one of her [i]dreams,[/i] or the approaching remnants of one she’d had that always seemed to haunt her, as if in punishment for not being able to intervene in things she was utterly uninvolved in.


Sloane returned the smile best she could, waiting patiently to offer Katryna the other cup of coffee to help her take the pills with the granola bar ready in her other hand. It didn’t go unnoticed the way Kacper’s concern ignited at the mention of a headache or the unfinished thought he nearly let slip, but she didn’t ask or point a light on information that she was not privy to. He didn’t pry about her comments and she’d return the act in kind. There was a silent unspoken respect she had for people who didn’t try to forcibly unpack her words or thoughts and she always tried to mirror that with her own actions. 

With her hands empty, she ran them down the tops of her legs as she took a small step backwards to give them space. Coincidentally that was near the edge of the porch, but luckily Sloane looked down at the right moment just before her clumsy nature won out. She lowered herself one of the steps and regained her balance with as much poise as possible. [color=c7b29b]"If you need more, my cabin is down that way and like a U turn."[/color] She pointed and curved her hand as she spoke to give them a general idea of where her cabin was. [color=c7b29b]"I don’t [i]sleep much[/i]."[/color] She stopped herself before saying too much and quickly averted her gaze. [color=c7b29b]"I just mean you can knock whenever. I don’t mind,"[/color] she hastily tried to brush past her slip up with rushed words and a slightly forced smile. 

Katryna blinked at Sloane’s words, her hand curling around the paper cup, the faint heat bleeding into her chilled fingers. The coffee’s scent rose up in gentle waves, making her feel both relieved and a little nauseous, but it was the offhand comment that snagged her attention, sharp and bright as flint striking stone.

[color=A4DED2]"You don’t?"[/color] Kat asked, the words slipping out before she could temper them.

[color=54998E]"You don’t?"[/color] Kacper said at the same time, turning to look at Sloane with one brow raised, his confusion plain and a flicker of worry still lingering beneath it, not just for Sloane now, but for his sister, whose sudden interest in the topic made his stomach twist. He reached out automatically when Sloane slipped backwards, fingers curling around her bicep, helping to halt the movement even as she righted herself, before he let go as if the warmth of her burnt his hand. 

Sloane’s gaze fell to where Kacper grabbed her arm to steady her. She cleared her throat, eyes following his hand as he withdrew before looking between both of them a bit stunned at their shared response to her sleep habits. Her cheeks grew the faintest bit more pink beneath the prominent flush from the bite of the cold wind. [color=c7b29b]"I—[i]yes?[/i]"[/color]

While her brother was looking at Sloane’s blush the same way a cat would look at a mouse that had just wandered in front of it, the light behind her own eyes brightened with something almost like relief, though she fought to dull it before it could show too much. [color=A4DED2]"Neither do I,"[/color] she admitted, that faint, too-quick spark dimming into something more fragile, almost conspiratorial. [color=A4DED2]"Always feels like there’s… too much noise when the world’s quiet, I suppose."[/color]

Kacper glanced sidelong at her, the muscle in his jaw tightening and flexing. They couldn’t keep their Godly parent a secret for forever, but they could limit what everyone knew about what they could do. He wanted to say something, anything, but he wasn’t sure where to even start. Instead, he settled for the smallest shake of his head. Kat smiled faintly, unbothered by his silent disapproval. Her gaze returned to Sloane, eyes soft and oddly knowing, as if she recognized something of herself in the other woman’s tired smile. 

[color=A4DED2]"Our father is Hypnos,"[/color] she said with false lightness, and Katryna watched when Kacper’s face screwed up in distaste, as if he’d bitten into sour candy, with vague amusement. She ignored him, though. [color=A4DED2]"You can always come knock if you want to sleep, but can’t. I’m better at it than Kas, anyways."[/color] 

He scoffed, but there was no heat behind the noise. In fact, the tips of his ears had turned pink ever so slightly, like he was embarrassed. [color=54998E]"I doubt she’d want me hovering over her for a nap anyways."[/color] He muttered, thrusting his hands into his pockets. 

Sloane’s smile, weak and easy to miss, returned slightly at the kind gesture. The thought of a night of peaceful sleep was almost too good to deny, but there was one glaring problem with that… Letting anyone see the cause of her restless nights in the first place. She sighed softly, her gaze temporarily shifting toward Kacper as she muffled an awkward laugh. [color=c7b29b]"It’d be cruel to subject either of you to my dreams."[/color] Her voice had that same light ease that juxtaposed her words, disregarding the heavier meaning behind them as a way to mask their true depth. 

[color=c7b29b]"Plus, I don’t have anything to offer in return."[/color] Sloane attempted to shift the conversation away from her nightmares while descending the remaining stairs of the porch as if to put a little more space between herself and the attention that was directed toward her. [color=c7b29b]"My mother’s Eris. So unless you want me to—[i]I don’t know.[/i]"[/color] She shrugged her shoulders trying to think of something comparable that she’d actually be willing to do. [color=c7b29b]"Compel someone to pee their pants or something, I don’t have much to offer."[/color]

Katryna watched her with that same soft, steady gaze—the one that seemed to see through words without ever pressing against them. [color=A4DED2]"I wouldn’t expect anything in return,"[/color] she said after a moment, her voice hushed but certain, like a secret meant only for the air between them, as if Kacper wasn’t there. [color=A4DED2]"Kindness doesn’t have to be a bargain."[/color]

She paused, glancing down at the steaming cup cradled in her hands pointedly, a small smile tugging at Kat’s lips. When she looked back up though, her smile had softened into something almost wistful. [color=A4DED2]"But I understand,"[/color] she continued quietly. [color=A4DED2]"Dreams are… personal."[/color] Her fingers traced the rim of her cup absently, as if trying to gather her own thoughts before they drifted too far. [color=A4DED2]"Mine aren’t peaceful, either. My dreams, I mean."[/color] She admitted, though her tone was gentle, not confessional, more a thread of shared truth than revelation. Sleep and dreams would never be peaceful for someone like Katryna, who couldn’t sleep within a ten mile radius of someone else without accidentally falling into their dreams, or when she had dreams that weren’t always dreams. [color=A4DED2]"The line between rest and memory gets… thin. For me, at least."[/color]

Kat’s smile brightened, almost into a conspiratorial smile then, as if to pull the mood back toward something lighter. [color=A4DED2]"Still, if you ever change your mind,"[/color] she said tentatively, [color=A4DED2]"I make a mean cup of chamomile tea. It doesn’t fix much, but it tastes like what I’d imagine sweet dreams could taste like."[/color]

Behind her, Kacper made a faint, disbelieving sound—half a scoff, half a sigh, but Kat didn’t look away from Sloane, her expression warm and steady against the winter air. 

[color=c7b29b]"I appreciate the offer... My dreams aren’t [i]weird[/i],"[/color] Sloane attempted to clarify without [i]actually[/i] clarify anything. [i]Ironic.[/i] [color=c7b29b]"[i]‘Memories’[/i] is… a good way to describe it,"[/color] she added while tugging the sleeves of her coat over her hands in a subconscious way to close herself off from the vulnerability of her words and the conversation.

Sloane knew that kindness wasn’t a debt to fill or a bargaining chip in hopes of something in return. That was a Christian’s ideology, not hers. Hell, she literally brought the pair of them coffee, food, and medicine just because it… [i]felt[/i] like the right thing to do. It was easy and went without much forethought to be kind to others, but she was still struggling with being on the receiving end. She had grown complacent with the harsher pieces of reality. She had accepted that her place was to bear the cruelty so others didn’t have to. Her own silent burden. A hidden kindness that would go unnoticed and unrewarded. 

Camp had been a gentle reprieve, but her solace only lasted so long. She thrived in solitude before Liam, but now that he was gone the loneliness felt more stark and ever present, like tinnitus always ringing in the back of her mind. She appreciated Katryna’s kindness but a nagging tug at the pit of her stomach was a reminder of what letting others close usually led to. The past day had given her whiplash from the rollercoaster of social encounters she had. She needed a step back to regain her footing before slipping too far out of her familiar solitude.

[i]And yet…[/i]

[color=c7b29b]"Chamomile tea sounds nice,"[/color] she replied like a whisper on the wind, accented with a timid smile that brought a glimmer of warmth to her eyes.

Kat’s smile deepened at the soft admission, blooming slow and luminous like frost catching sunlight. The wind toyed with the ends of her hair, brushing them across her cheek, but she didn’t seem to notice. Her attention stayed tethered to Sloane with a gentleness that felt deliberate, like she was afraid to spook a bird already half-ready to take wing.

[color=A4DED2]“It would also be nice, I suppose, to have a friend here.”[/color] Her fingers wrapped tighter around the warm cup, grounding herself. 

Kacper made another noise behind her—not quite a cough, not quite a scoff, something between disbelief and [i]oh my god, Kat, please.[/i] He dragged a hand down his face dramatically. [color=54998E]“Subtle, Kat,”[/color] he muttered, voice dry as driftwood. [color=54998E]“Very smooth. Ten out of ten. No notes.”[/color]

At first Sloane's smile changed, a little uneasy, but no less warm. She was confused at the realization she had been called a friend twice in a single morning. It was a foreign word used to describe her. Lesser still to describe someone else in relation to herself. Then her gaze moved to Kacper and she couldn't help but laugh at the way he rebuked all familiarity. [color=c7b29b]"[i]Relax,[/i]"[/color] she goaded him gently. [color=c7b29b]"Your reputation is still intact. You don't get friendship from me by proxy of your sister. "[/color] Her head cocked to the side like a subtle unspoken challenge. [color=c7b29b]"You have to earn that yourself."[/color]

Kacper blinked at her, slow, incredulous, like he couldn't decide if she’d just insulted him, challenged him, or accidentally flirted. Then the corner of his mouth tugged upward, sharp as a blade catching light. [color=54998E]"Oh, don’t worry,"[/color] he drawled, folding his arms as if settling into the game she’d just invited him to play. [color=54998E]"If I wanted your friendship, I wouldn’t need Kat as a middleman."[/color]

A beat. His eyes glinted, winter-cold and interested despite himself. [color=54998E]"But I’ll bite,"[/color] he tilted his head a fraction, mirroring her challenge. [color=54998E]"What does a guy have to do to [i]earn[/i] it?"[/color] The words slipped out smooth, almost lazy—but the air around him felt charged, like the moment before a storm decides where to strike.

She didn’t know why she was surprised at his reaction. Kacper seemed like the type of guy who would jump at any and every opportunity to prove someone wrong. He had a subtle sort of arrogance that wasn’t quite to the level of unbearable, but definitely enough to get him in trouble. While caught off guard by his curiosity, Sloane didn’t show it beyond the faint quirking of a brow and the subtle way her body turned a fraction more toward him. [color=c7b29b]"Get to know me."[/color] Her answer was humbly simple. There were no caveats, or strings, or hoops to jump through. It was such an easy solution that most people seemed to overlook it entirely, like they overlooked her. Perhaps that was why she had no friends. It wasn’t complicated… just no one tried. 

Kat stepped down one of the porch steps, closing just enough of the space Sloane had created without crowding her, keeping her eyes on the stairs so she didn’t slip. Her gaze flickered over Sloane’s posture, the way she tucked her sleeves over her hands like armor. Kat softened in response, not pity, but understanding, the quiet kind built from nights spent awake when the rest of the world slept too easily.

[color=A4DED2]“Either way, you’ll have to meet the cats after training, and I’d love to meet your dog.”[/color] A tinge of excitement laced into her voice, followed by the throb of pain, and Katryna let out a soft sigh before she took the medicine that had been offered with a swig of the coffee. It was, in short, disgusting. The heat of the coffee broke down the integrity of the pills with swift effinence, leaving a bitter taste coated on her tongue long after she’d swallowed them. 

[color=c7b29b]"Rocco loves everything in existence: people, animals… [i]snow.[/i]"[/color] Sloane motioned around them at the vast sea of white that blanketed the camp. [color=c7b29b]"He'll be thrilled."[/color]

Katryna smiled brightly at that, the brightest she’d managed thus far, even with her head throbbing. The idea that she’d get to see and pet a dog soon improved her mood by leaps and bounds. Kacper stepped down beside them both then, boots thudding against the snow-packed ground, watching with vague amusement as his sister's face puckered and twisted in a grimace. He nudged Kat lightly with his elbow, then looked at Sloane with raised eyebrows—a look torn between doubt and reluctant amusement. [color=54998E]”Lead the way to training, we’ll bombarded you with questions on the way, every girl's dream, right?”[/color]

[color=c7b29b]"[i]Mmm,[/i]"[/color] Sloane hummed vaguely with a shrug of her shoulders then slowly started down the path. She glanced back over her shoulder once to make sure they were following before she replied, not looking to add [i]crazy girl that talks to herself[/i] to her roster. [color=c7b29b]"Oh, I don't know. Most people don't think to ask."[/color] She slipped her hands into her coat pockets as she walked, finding her fingers growing exceptionally cold without the coffees in her grasp to warm them. [color=c7b29b]"Although, I'm afraid I'm not all that interesting,"[/color] she added, sparing both of them a quick glance before looking back down at her feet to make sure her clumsiness didn't make a devious return.

Kacper matched her pace without effort, boots sinking into the snow with a steady [i]crunch, crunch,[/i] each step releasing a small puff of frost into the cold morning air. The path unfurled ahead of them in muted whites and grays, winter swallowing sound except for their footsteps and the occasional hiss of wind weaving through the trees. 

He glanced at Sloane from the corner of his eye, the hunched shoulders, the hands tucked deep into her pockets for warmth, the way she kept watching her footing as if the ground might betray her at any moment. A faint, crooked smile tugged at his lips. [color=54998E]“Not interesting, huh?”[/color] he drawled, letting sarcasm color the words. [color=54998E]“Yeah, sure. That’s definitely the impression you give.”[/color]

Before she could respond, something smacked his arm—Kat’s mitten. Hard. His sister shot him a look full of dramatic exasperation, her hot breath puffing out into the air like a dragon’s sigh. [color=A4DED2]“Why are you like this?”[/color]

Kacper shrugged, as if the universe itself had forced him into lifelong sarcasm. It was the strangest defense mechanism, he was aware. [color=54998E]“The orphanage, probably.”[/color]

She snorted, muttering something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like [color=A4DED2][i]“Menace.”[/i][/color] 

He ignored her entirely, an older-brother specialty, and tilted his head just slightly toward Sloane. [color=54998E]“Point is,”[/color] he added, tone slipping into something quieter, not soft but… less sharp around the edges, [color=54998E]“People aren’t great at noticing things. Doesn’t make those things any less interesting.”[/color]
Snowflakes drifted down around them, catching in Kat’s dark hair, clinging to the fabric of Sloane’s coat. The cold settled in their lungs like crystal, but the walk felt strangely easy, a small pocket of warmth between three people who weren’t quite strangers anymore. [color=54998E]“Anyways,”[/color] he said slowly, slyly, his smirk turning a little arrogant. [color=54998E]“I had meant questions about the [i]camp.[/i]”[/color] 
Sloane chuckled softly at the siblings’ banter, releasing visible puffs of air from her nose. Their relationship was endearing but also made her chest ache in a way she was unfamiliar. There was a time when she was young and naive enough that she hoped for Sylas to be like that, incredulous but silently protective… for a comfortable rapport of sibling bickering that tip-toed the line between love and loathing. She didn’t know what healthy familial love was supposed to look like, but when she witnessed it, it filled her with a forlorn longing for something she’d never have. 

She blinked once, then twice as Kacper’s head dipped into her periphery pulling her back to the conversation at hand. Sloane forced a tight lipped smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, showing a small crack in her careful facade before she managed to lock it away. [color=c7b29b]"Ah, right. [i]Camp.[/i]"[/color] She nodded her head in that bashful, and slightly self-deprecating kind of way that acknowledged her stupidity without saying it. [color=c7b29b]"Ask away,"[/color] she prompted them, thankful for the diversion. 

Kacper let out a low, unimpressed sound, half sigh, half scoff, as if she’d just invited them to interrogate her about tax law instead of… well, anything remotely fun. Snow crunched beneath his boots as he lengthened his stride enough to come up alongside her again, shoulders brushing close but never quite touching. Now that he thought about it, knowing more about their new [i]friend[/i] sounded incredibly more entertaining than the camp. He shot her a look, pale eyes narrowed with theatrical disappointment.

[color=54998E]“Well then,”[/color] he said, tone dry. [color=54998E]“I’m not gonna grill you on cabin numbers and camp etiquette, your idea is better.”[/color]


[color=c7b29b]"[i]Oh?[/I]"[/color] Sloane mused with a small bit of curiosity as she looked over at him. 

Kat made a soft [i]hmm[/i] of agreement behind them, though the amused lift of her brows suggested she wasn’t entirely convinced about where he was going with this. Kacper ignored her. They were both quite good at that.

The path curved, carrying them through drifting curtains of powdery snow that kissed their coats and hair. The wind whispered through the pines above, scattering flakes in lazy spirals that caught the weak morning light. For a breath, everything felt temporarily suspended—white air, quiet trees, three uneven heartbeats.

Then, with absolutely no warning at all, Kacper asked; [color=54998E]“What’s your favorite color?”[/color] Which elicited a strange, choking sort of noise from his sister, who was looking at him like she’d never seen him before. 

Sloane was almost startled as the peaceful serenity of the snow blanketed morning was disturbed with a surprisingly innocent question and a strange sound of disbelief from behind her. She adjusted her stance slightly, staying in stride with Kacper while also allowing herself to catch a glimpse of Katryna’s confused expression. Sloane's cheeks flushed slightly as she noticed the subtle hints of a shared wordless conversation that she couldn't quite follow. Out of all the questions she could have imagined being bombarded with between herself and camp, her favorite color wasn't even the realm of possibility. She tucked her lips between her teeth as she pondered his question, having never been asked or thought much about it. [color=c7b29b]"I guess it would be burgundy,"[/color] she finally replied, looking up at him with warm brown eyes. 

Kacper blinked once, slow and deliberate, as if processing her answer required far more effort than expected. Then his brow arched, not sharply, but with the dry, unimpressed lift of someone preparing to commit to a bit. [color=54998E]“Burgundy?”[/color] he repeated, tasting the word like it was somehow personally offensive. A beat passed, then— [color=54998E]“You mean red.”[/color]

Katryna made a scandalized noise, stepping around a patch of ice just to get closer so she could glare up at him properly. [color=A4DED2]“Burgundy is [i]not[/i] just red,”[/color] she insisted, offended on Sloane’s behalf. [color=A4DED2]“It’s deeper. Richer. More—”[/color]

[color=54998E]“Red,”[/color] Kacper cut in, deadpan.

Kat swatted his arm with the back of her hand, which he took with a grunt but no real protest. He didn’t break stride, only shoved his hands deeper into the pockets of his coat as if to protect them from further assault. He looked back to Sloane then, eyes narrowing with exaggerated scrutiny, as though she’d become far more interesting by offering an answer he didn’t expect. Snow crunched beneath their boots in an uneven rhythm, hers light and careful, Kat’s quick and muted, his steady and grounding.

[color=c7b29b]"It's like dark reddish purple… [i]wine[/i],"[/color] Sloane attempted to elaborate. After a beat or two of silence and Kacper's incredulous side eye, she sighed softly and rolled her eyes with false frustration, but the small way the corner of her lips curved upwards showed a hint of appreciation that he had a clue what the color was in the first place. [color=c7b29b]"I don't know. It's kind of sophisticated like rich leather, or leaves on the cusp of fall, or the perfect shade of lipstick that matches my favorite sweater."[/color] She shrugged her shoulders not really knowing the best way to describe why she liked it. She just did. 

The arena slowly came into view as the path started to curve. Snowflakes speckled Sloane's dark hair while loose strands were gently blown across her face from the breeze. [color=c7b29b]"Well what's [i]your[/i] favorite color then?"[/color] She asked, her shoulder accidentally bumping his slightly as she turned to face him, walking sideways but keeping pace. [color=c7b29b]"Is it blue? [I]I bet it's blue.[/I]"[/color] She shot a quick glance toward Katryna for confirmation. [color=c7b29b]"You seem like a [i]blue[/i] type of person."[/color]

Katryna’s reaction was instant; a soft, startled laugh that puffed into the cold air like a breath of warm tea. She pressed a hand to her mouth, shaking her head, amused but trying not to embarrass anyone. Kacper shot her a sidelong look, one brow lifting. He knew why she’d find that amusing, considering blue was a softer, calmer color. [color=54998E]“Really?”[/color] he muttered, before turning his attention back to Sloane.

The light off the snow caught the faintest quirk at the corner of his mouth, too dry to be a smile, too deliberate to be accidental, and he’d reflexively reached out to steady her when their shoulders bumped. [color=54998E]“Blue.”[/color] He tasted the word like it was wildly inaccurate. He clicked his tongue, shaking his head once.[color=54998E]“Try again, since this has turned into a guessing game.”[/color]

Kat leaned in behind Sloane, stage-whispering loudly enough for both of them to hear. [color=A4DED2]“Pick a moodier color. It’ll fit.”[/color]

Kacper elbowed her—not hard, just enough to make her yelp and hop out of range, grinning. God, the two of them together would be enough to give [i]him[/i] a headache, he could already tell. God forbid they actually become friends, he would never know peace again.

Sloane’s eyes widened as she held Kat’s gaze, disbelief prevalent across her face. [color=c7b29b]"Oh my Gods, you’re joking,"[/color] she drawled, shoulders slumping forward while her head tipped backwards dramatically. It felt like too [i]obvious[/i] of an answer that she didn’t even humor it as a possibility. Her dark eyes shifted back to Kacper studying his moody facade and generally closed off devil-may-care attitude. Then there was his whole [i]‘reputation’[/i] bullshit and reluctance to being seen as soft… [i]Of course it was.[/i] [color=c7b29b]"It’s not black. You can’t be [i]that[/i] predictable."[/color]

Kacper let out a sharp, inelegant snort, the kind that cracked out of him before he could clamp his teeth down on it. Kat’s shoulders shook with another soft laugh behind them, but she stayed mercifully quiet this time. He fixed Sloane with a look, half incredulous, half amused in that bone-dry, sandpaper way of his. [color=54998E]“Predictable?”[/color] he echoed, as if the word physically offended him. [color=54998E]“Please.”[/color]

He rolled his eyes skyward, breath fogging faintly in the cold, then tipped his head toward her with a crooked sort of challenge glinting in his gaze. [color=54998E]“And no, it’s not black.”[/color]

A beat. A faint twitch at the corner of his mouth. Almost daring her to react. He let the moment stretch. [color=54998E]“It’s purple.”[/color] Delivered flatly, unapologetically, like he’d just stated that gravity existed. Kacper shrugged once, shoulders rustling under his coat. [color=54998E]“Unpredictable enough for you?”[/color]


Sloane’s lips scrunched in a guilty kind of way where she was trying to hold back a laugh at how easily she seemed to ruffle his feathers while somehow enticing him to keep talking. It was like a strange game of chess where neither of them were trying to win, just bluffing and baiting each other to move. Her face grew a bit more red at her miscalculation. She held her ground though, not moving or backing down when Kacper tilted his head toward her in a confident, almost arrogant sort of way. Her pace slowed until they stopped short of the arena’s entrance. Sloane turned fully toward him, waiting for him to fill the silence with an answer, knowing her patience would out match his. 

[i]... Purple.[/i] She should have known. 

A soft laugh of failure and acceptance slipped out in a small cloud as she nodded her head. Sloane leaned towards him, just a fraction, while squinting her eyes and studying his face. [color=c7b29b]"[i]So…[/i]"[/color] she dragged out the word, building the faintest bit of suspense between them. [color=c7b29b]"Diet black?"[/color] She cocked her head to the side before her smile grew until it cracked into a fit of light, genuine laughter. 

For half a heartbeat, Kacper simply stared at her—baffled, affronted, and momentarily robbed of whatever retort had been perched on his tongue. [i]Diet black?[/i] The audacity. 

Kat, beside them, was already grinning like she’d been waiting for this exact train wreck. Kacper’s jaw clicked once as he recalibrated, shoulders tightening beneath his coat before he exhaled sharply through his nose. [color=54998E]“Purple,”[/color] he corrected, voice low and clipped, [color=54998E]“Like the sky between day and night.”[/color] He gave her a pointed look. [color=54998E]“Much better than whatever wine–leaf–leather color you’re trying to convince me exists.”[/color]

The sarcasm hung between them like frost, but the edges of it were warm, softened by an undertow he failed, [i]refused,[/i] to name. Her laughter, bright and unguarded and real, landed somewhere uncomfortably close to the ribs he usually kept shielded. He didn’t show it. Not outwardly. But a private part of him— quiet, territorial, annoyingly pleased, preened at having drawn it out of her.

[color=c7b29b]"Burgundy."[/color] Sloane held out one hand. [color=c7b29b]"Purple."[/color] Then she held her other hand right beside it with no space in between. [color=c7b29b]"By guy logic they’re basically the same color,"[/color] she rebutted just barely above a whisper, leaning in slightly for emphasis. All the while her smile remained ever present even taking the slightest of sinister tinges knowing how he’d probably react. With a lopsided tilt to her grin she reached out and lightly patted his shoulder. [color=c7b29b]"It’s ok. I can teach you."[/color]

Kacper stared at her outstretched hands, [i]burgundy[/i] in one, [i]purple[/i] in the other, as though she’d just presented him with incontrovertible proof of a crime he hadn’t realized he was accused of committing. Then she whispered that traitorous line—[i]guy logic,[/i] and leaned in. His eyes narrowed. Slowly. Deliberately. Like a wolf deciding whether to bite or merely loom.

Kat pressed her lips together to muffle a laugh. Sloane’s hand landed on his shoulder, light and maddeningly self-assured. He didn’t move away. He didn’t let himself move toward it either. Instead, he inhaled once, deep, the kind of breath taken by someone absolutely determined not to rise to the bait… and absolutely rising to the bait regardless of personal wishes. 

[color=54998E]“First of all,”[/color] he said, voice dropping into that dry, razor-edged register he used when he was half a second from being too honest. [color=54998E]“If you think purple and burgundy are the same color, that’s on you. Not on ‘guy logic.’”[/color] He lifted a hand, tapped the air vaguely between her two palms. [color=54998E]“One is the sky. The other is…”[/color] his mouth twitched with the effort of holding back a grin. [color=54998E]“…a fruit someone left out too long.”[/color]

Sloane scoffed and rolled her eyes. [color=c7b29b]"[i]Leaves and lipstick[/i],"[/color] she corrected under her breath, too quiet to throw him off his little rant.

Kat snorted, and Kacper angled his head, meeting her gaze with the kind of steadiness that felt too serious for the conversation they were having. Too intent. [color=54998E]“Secondly,”[/color] he added, a hint of indulgence slipping in despite his best attempts. [color=54998E]“If you think you’re teaching me anything about color, you’re going to be sorely disappointed.”[/color]

A brief pause, and he allowed his suppressed grin to bloom into a small smirk. There were worse ways he could spend his time, he supposed, than listening to a pretty girl lecture him about colors. [color=54998E]“But… if it makes you feel better, you can keep trying.”[/color]

Her brows raised, quietly surprised at the way Kacper half conceded. Sloane studied his face while her own smile curved to one side, changing to something a little more bashful and slightly defeated. [color=c7b29b]"It’s not fun if you let me win,"[/color] she grumbled.

Kat only grinned wider, eyes flicking between the two like she was watching a play she’d already paid for twice. Kacper dragged a hand through his hair, muttering under his breath as if to smother the moment before it grew legs. [color=54998E]“Diet black,”[/color] he repeated, scoffing. [color=54998E]“Gods save me, you’re a menace.”[/color] And despite his words, there was a touch of fondness that cut through his tone. 


Sloane’s head tilted to the side in thought. [color=c7b29b]"I’ve never been called a [i]‘menace’[/i] before,"[/color] she mused under her breath, more to herself than anything. She had been called quiet, antisocial, melancholy, a burden… but never a menace. While others might be offended at something like that, to her it was almost endearing.

Not particularly in a rush to get to training, Sloane allowed herself to linger a minute or two longer before she made a fool of herself in front of all the new campers. She turned slightly, shifting her attention to Katryna with a warmer smile, not an ounce of deviousness to be found like there was with her brother. [color=c7b29b]"What’s your favorite color?"[/color] she asked. [color=c7b29b]"Unless it’s [i]also[/i] purple. I know twins [i]supposedly[/i] are always in sync or whatever. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth for me and my brother."[/color] Sloane couldn’t think of a single thing her and Sylas had in common other than their genes and surnames. Hell, she couldn’t even recall what his favorite color was… or if he had one in the first place. She supposed Kacper and Katryna could be that freaky type of twins who liked all the same things, but that definitely wasn’t the vibe she got.

Kat’s grin faltered and softened, like someone had gently thumbed over the sharp edges. She blinked, almost startled to be included, then tucked a loose curl behind her ear as her cheeks warmed a faint, rosy hue that made perfect sense the moment she opened her mouth.

[color=A4DED2]“Oh—um. Mine’s pink,”[/color] she admitted, shy in a way she rarely was. She was more familiar with sitting in the wings, letting her brother, black cat that he was, be the more social of the two. [color=A4DED2]“Not the bright kind. The soft one. Like… like Meadowsweet… our adoptive father, he planted some for me outside my window, when he found out.”[/color] Her voice trailed off, turning sad around the edges like a wilting flower. She missed home already, missed the man that had become a father to her more than Hypnos ever would be. Katryna cleared her throat, and tried to ignore how homesick she was.

Sloane’s face slowly softened at her words, growing warmer and more sympathetic. She hadn’t been homesick for a single moment since she arrived, quickly seeing camp, for all its chaos, as her new home where she could finally find herself. But the concept of homesickness wasn’t lost on her because at the end of it all, it was just… sadness, something she knew very well. [color=c7b29b]"Maybe we can find some. Between Demeter kids or a couple greenhouses I’ve seen around there has to be some somewhere,"[/color] Sloane offered, always finding it easier to find solutions for others’ problems compared to her own. 

[color=c7b29b]"That’s sweet though. My father wouldn’t know my favorite color if he had a cheat sheet,"[/color] she added with a soft laugh, like what she said was a corny joke rather than a sad fact. Her father was always about legacy, which was a man’s role. Women were homemakers, childbearers, and mothers… And not his problem. Sloane had accepted that truth a long time ago and had stopped vying for her father’s love once he sent her away. Now she poked fun at it with jokes and levity, finding it an easier outlet than focusing her attention on the elephant in the room… Sylas.

Kat’s breath caught, barely, but enough that she felt it. A tiny tightening in her chest, a warmth rising behind her eyes that she tried, unsuccessfully, to blink away before it betrayed her. It wasn’t the big things that undid her. It never had been. It was the small kindnesses. The quiet ones. The ones no one owed her. Sloane’s offer hit her like a soft touch to a bruise she’d been pretending didn’t hurt. Her throat tightened. Her vision blurred just slightly at the edges. Gods, she was [i]not[/i] going to cry on the path to training.

She swallowed once, steadied herself, and when she looked at Sloane, her smile was small, fragile at the corners, but entirely genuine. [color=A4DED2]“Thank you,”[/color] she murmured, voice a little too thin, a little too warm. Her fingers curled into the fabric of her coat like she needed something to anchor her. [color=A4DED2]“Really. That… that would mean a lot.”[/color]

For a moment, she didn’t feel like a daughter of Hypnos. Or a camper. Or a girl trying very hard not to miss home. Or a girl who had been cursed with weird, prophetic dreams. She just felt like Katryna—and someone had seen her.

In the end, the flower suited her and who she was—warm, hopeful, a little wistful around the edges. Kacper’s head had turned at that, eyebrows lifting a fraction as if [i]he[/i] hadn’t known that detail either. But before he could comment on it, something else she’d said landed belatedly in his brain.

[i]Twin.[/i]

His attention cut back to Sloane sharply, boots shifting in the snow as he angled toward her. The sarcasm cooled, not gone, but tempered by genuine curiosity. [color=54998E]“Hold on,”[/color] he said, brow furrowing, [color=54998E]“You’re a twin?”[/color] He studied her for a moment, really studied her, as though trying to map that information onto the person he’d just spent the last ten minutes verbally sparring with.

Sloane’s eyes went wide like a deer caught in headlights, unable to look away from his calculated gaze. [color=c7b29b]"I—[i]yes?[/i]"[/color] she echoed her earlier bewilderment. [color=c7b29b]"It’s not like I broadcast it."[/color]

Then, hands sliding deeper into his pockets, he added with a bluntness softened only slightly by interest. [color=54998E]“Where’s your brother, then? Not here?”[/color]

Kat watched the exchange with keen eyes, the kind of look that suggested she was filing every detail away for later—every tone, every hesitation, every shift in the snow between them.

This had quickly grown to another moment where a passing comment was thrown under a spotlight. Sloane’s quiet confidence that she had slowly been building up from their playful banter quickly started melting away, replaced by her usual quiet and guarded timidness. [color=c7b29b]"He’s here… [i]Well,[/i] probably in there,"[/color] she replied, pointing a sleeve covered hand toward the arena. [color=c7b29b]"Our relationship is…"[/color] Her voice trailed off as she tried to think of the right word. Many came to mind, but none that she was willing to admit out loud. [color=c7b29b]"... [i]Complicated.[/i]"[/color] That would have to do.

Before she had the wherewithal to stop talking, one last comment slipped out. [color=c7b29b]"I [i]wish[/i] my brother was more like you."[/color] The admission caught her off guard, redness quickly blooming across her nose and cheeks, reaching the tips of her ears. Sloane’s gaze fell. Desperate for a distraction or an exit, she pushed up the sleeve of her coat to check her watch. [i]Two minutes.[/i] She pointed at the arena a second time but no words fell from her lips. Hoping to avoid being asked further questions, Sloane pivoted, snow crunching beneath her soles in protest before she headed into the arena. She didn’t stop to see if they were following, nor could she hear their footsteps over the thrumming over her own pulse in her ears. Her accidental slip up, or whatever the fuck that was, left her panicked, evident in the way her small strides picked up pace and her gaze remained fixated on her feet. 

Sloane emerged from beneath a stone archway under the stands to the site of what looked like a military obstacle course. For a moment she hesitated, taking in what was likely the day’s training, their new leader, and all the other demigods who lingered about, waiting. Then with a gut wrenching magnetism, like he knew she was just speaking about him, she found Sylas watching her with a piercing gaze and furrowed brow. Sloane sucked in a breath, quickly sliding onto the closest bench, far away from anyone else, and started taking off her winter coat, half lost in her own spiraling thoughts. 

Kat slowed first. Not by much—just a soft hitch in her stride, enough that the snow beneath her boot fell quiet instead of crunching. Kacper, a half-step ahead, noticed only when her hand caught his sleeve. He stopped, confused, eyes tracking Sloane’s retreating figure as she all but fled toward the arena entrance. He frowned. Not annoyed. Not amused. Just… confused. Kat’s gaze was far sharper. The gentle kind, the kind that didn’t cut but illuminated. She watched Sloane disappear beneath the archway, watched the way her shoulders had tightened, the way her boots had stuttered unevenly like her breath was catching on something she couldn’t swallow.

[color=A4DED2]“Maybe her brother isn’t… kind?”[/color] Kat whispered, the idea both soft and terrible on her tongue. 

Kacper stared at her like she’d spoken in a language no one used anymore. [color=54998E]“What? Why wouldn’t he be?”[/color] His brows creased, earnest confusion taming his usual sharpness. [color=54998E]“He’s her twin.”[/color] As though that alone should have been enough to explain everything.

But Kat only pressed her lips together, eyes sad and bright and knowing. [color=A4DED2]“Not every twin gets what we have,”[/color] she murmured. Not every twin grows up safe. Loved. Chosen. Kacper didn’t argue, not because he agreed, but because the knot between Kat’s brows was one he’d learned not to tug at. He exhaled sharply instead, fogging the cold air. Then he shoved his hands deeper in his pockets.

[color=54998E]“She shouldn’t have walked off alone.”[/color] Which, for him, translated roughly to: [i]I’m worried and I hate that I’m worried.[/i]

Kat’s smile turned wry. [color=A4DED2]“Then don’t let her.”[/color] They stepped forward together, boots crunching in unison as they followed the path Sloane had fled down. Neither rushed. Neither spoke. But something in the silence between them shifted, protective, wary, a little bristled.

Inside the arena, they spotted her instantly. She was just a small figure on a bench, coat half-shrugged off, movements tight and distracted. The air around her felt thinner somehow, strained, brittle, like glass chilled too quickly. Kacper didn’t comment. Didn’t ask. He just made his way to the bench with an ease that pretended he didn’t care at all, even as he deliberately sat close enough that she wouldn’t feel alone. Kat took the spot at Sloane’s other side, quiet but present, offering warmth without pressure. Neither said her name. Neither demanded an explanation. They just sat, one on each side, as if forming a silent shield against whatever had made her eyes look like that.

[color=A4DED2]“It’s warmer here,”[/color] Katryna rubbed at her eyes, willing the medication to work and push away the headache that made her head throb. The conversation earlier had been a good distraction, but it wasn’t enough to make the pain shrink, it was warmer but still too bright, too loud. 

Sloane had barely managed to lay her coat across her lap when she noticed someone step closer out of the corner of her eye. There was a fraction of a second where she expected it to be Sylas, but as she slowly turned her head she was surprised to see Kacper lowering himself onto the bench beside her. It wasn’t too close to give her the impression they were friends, [i]of course[/i], but close enough that it looked intentional. Her lips parted but no words came out, her thoughts short circuiting as Katryna filled the space on her other side, closer and a bit more familiar. Her cheeks flushed as she looked between the siblings, but said nothing. 

She felt like the cream filling of an oreo, stuck between two concerned parties who didn’t dare say or ask the questions that crossed their minds. Sloane appreciated the unimposing silence and how they didn’t pry further, but there was also a subtle dread that fell in the pit of her stomach like lead knowing that her brother was staring daggers into the back of her head… and theirs too. It took all her self control not to peek over her shoulder, but she didn’t need the confirmation. Sylas’s gaze was unmistakable, like the subtle feeling of a chill down her spine or the way she could feel her skin burning beneath the sun.

It took a moment for her thoughts to catch up and register Katryna’s comment. Sloane cleared her throat, turning her attention toward her slightly, thankful for the casual conversation rather than drilling her with questions. [color=c7b29b]"Some kind of camp magic. I don’t understand it, but it was warm at last night’s party too."[/color]

Kat blinked slowly, as though the world had gone slightly out of focus around the edges. Her fingers pressed into her temple, rubbing gentle circles, not enough to banish the headache, just enough to keep it tolerable. Her breathing stayed soft, careful, as if anything louder might make the throbbing behind her eyes worse.

[color=A4DED2]“Magic or not…”[/color] she murmured, letting her eyes fall half-lidded, [color=A4DED2]“I’m grateful. The cold was starting to feel like my skull was going to crack open.”[/color] Her tone was light, an attempt at humor, but her voice wavered with the ache she couldn’t quite mask. She managed a faint smile for Sloane anyway, soft and apologetic, as though she worried her discomfort might somehow burden her. 

[color=c7b29b]"Here,"[/color] Sloane spoke quietly for only Kat to hear. She took her coat and rested it across the girl’s lap for extra insulation, hoping it might ease her head some by warming her blood faster. 

[color=A4DED2]“Thank you,”[/color] Katryna smiled softly at her, running her fingers over the fabric of the coat, using it to focus on something other than the throbbing in her head. 

On Sloane’s other side, Kacper settled deeper into his coat, broad shoulders slouched with practiced indifference. He leaned back, stretching out his legs in front of him, boots planted like he was bracing against the world. The warmth didn’t seem to touch him; he still looked cold, and somehow more annoyed because of it. But his eyes were sharp. They swept the arena with the lazy thoroughness of someone who’d been trained not to ignore his surroundings. People were gathered around the arena, other campers he supposed, but none of them were particularly interesting to him. There was a burn in the back of his neck though, the unfamiliar weight of someone else's stare. 

Kacper stretched lazily, head tilting to the side, his arm brushing softly against Sloane’s shoulder, and that’s when he caught another man a few paces away staring. He didn’t know who he was, sitting rigid as a blade and watching them with a stare sharp enough to cut bone. Kas’s gaze was half-lidded, unimpressed as he caught the man's gaze, holding it for a second too long before he allowed his arms to drop. He turned toward Sloane deliberately, lips pulling into an easy smile.

[color=54998E]“Warm or not,”[/color] he muttered, tone dry enough to freeze over, [color=54998E]“That obstacle course looks miserable. Hope you stretched.”[/color] It was delivered like a jab, but the undertone was unmistakable—[i]I’m not pushing you, but I’m not leaving you, either.[/i]

Sloane’s gaze drifted over to Kacper when his arm brushed hers, at first unknowing if it was intentional or not. She watched as something—[i]or someone[/i]—must have caught his attention. She stiffened slightly but didn’t dare look as a familiar hollow feeling tugged at the pit of her stomach. His smile caught her off guard and she couldn’t help but wonder if it was part show for their unwanted observer. Either way, she tried her best to ignore anything outside their bubble and focus solely on his words. With a forced small smile and dejected chuckle she replied. [color=c7b29b]"I’m about as athletic as a rock. No amount of stretching will help me."[/color]

Kacper huffed a soft laugh through his nose, the sound low, indulgent, and entirely too amused at her despair. Sloane’s self-deprecation hit that part of him—quiet, protective, irritatingly fond, and he let it show in the lazy drag of his gaze over her, the faint narrowing of his eyes that meant [i]you’re being dramatic, but I’ll allow it.[/i]

[color=54998E]“Well, neither is Kat,”[/color] he murmured, tilting his head toward her with a smirk that was all teeth and trouble, [color=54998E]“So you two can cry together about it after training.”[/color] He didn’t get another word out before Kat reached around Sloane and smacked him squarely in the arm.

[color=A4DED2]“You’re an ass,”[/color] she chastised, though her voice was bright with warmth. Then, softer, to Sloane but loud enough for him to hear: [color=A4DED2]“Ignore him, I certainly do.”[/color]

Sloane leaned forward with a soft laugh, dodging the slap while also giving Kat a better angle. [color=c7b29b]"[i]No crying[/i],"[/color] she corrected Kacper, if only to prove she had at least a [i]little[/i] more dignity than crying over training. [color=c7b29b]"But a lot of cursing… and wheezing."[/color]

Kacper scoffed, rubbing the spot Kat had smacked like she’d mortally wounded him. The dramatic roll of his shoulders was pure performance, but the glance he cut Sloane’s way, steadier and grounding, was something else entirely. Under the sarcasm, an unspoken promise lingered. [i]You’re not doing this alone.[/i] After all, Sloane was stuck with the twins now. It was a little, he admitted privately to himself, like being stuck with a fungal infection. She wouldn’t be shaking them anytime soon.[/color][/justify][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent]

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