[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/Qs85EvY.jpeg[/img] [sup][img]https://i.imgur.com/9qIY4OK.jpeg[/img] [color=808080][color=bd1664][b]#bd1664[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/VA8JIgR][color=808080][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [b]arena[/b][/color] [img]https://i.imgur.com/9qIY4OK.jpeg[/img][/sup][/center] [indent][indent][indent][indent][justify][color=808080]Andy was thankful Mason didn’t fuss and fight her as she pulled him down onto the seat beside her. [color=B45F06]"Alright, but don’t tell anyone I listened to you just because you said so,"[/color] he pretended to argue, even if his body still heeded her gentle direction. The gentle kiss upon her shoulder made her smile grow, warm and affectionate as she slowly turned her head to look over at him. After her comment about a shower, his head leaned in close like he was sharing a secret with her. Andy mirrored his movements until they were nearly temple to temple as he spoke. [color=B45F06]"I can’t wait for training to be over."[/color] She hummed in quiet content from behind closed lips, cheeks flushing faintly as her own mind sifted through thoughts of Mason joining her beneath the hot water, hands and mouths rediscovering each other as if they had forgotten after a night’s sleep. She cleared her throat, gaze falling to where their entwined hands had shifted to rest in her lap. The gentle stroke of his thumb against her bare thigh, tender and warm, sent a soft tingle along her skin. [color=bd1664]"Patience,"[/color] Andy whispered in response, a quiet unspoken challenge—or perhaps tease—hung on the edge of her words. [color=86a8ad]"Good morning everyone. If it wasn't already obvious, I am River, your new leader…"[/color] River started his speech, addressing everyone or whatever else, while simultaneously popping the fragile bubble that had existed around the pair of them. Andy listened, but she didn’t look up aside from the brief mention of her stint as Camp’s temporary leader. Instead her gaze was fixated on the contrast of her hand in Mason’s. Her fingers, deceptive in their slender daintiness, looked small compared to his, strong with a natural protectiveness in the way they coiled around her hand like a tender shield, soft yet possessive. Andy didn’t even notice someone approaching or look up until Mason slipped his hand from her grasp, which also pulled a soft, disgruntled grunt from her lips. She looked up but not toward River, not at first. Her gaze snapped over toward Mason, half tempted to steal his hand back but then she noticed the new leader standing before her. [color=86a8ad]"Do you mind tracking my time?"[/color] A bit stunned, she looked back and forth between River and Mason before reaching out to take the clipboard and stopwatch. [color=bd1664]"Yeah, sure."[/color] She listened as he described what she needed to do and answered with a small nod. As he made his way over toward the course, she missed the show he made of taking his shirt off so she could grump at Mason for taking his hand from her. [color=bd1664]"Rude,"[/color] she muttered playfully as she linked her arm with his, unwilling to sacrifice the small bit of physical contact for the sake of using a stopwatch. She watched River get ready and pressed the button when he started, as instructed. While he ran the course, Andy watched him, not because of his muscles that she paid no mind to, or to better grasp how to approach the obstacles, but to study his form, efficiency and speed. She observed him with a keen scrutiny, wanting to know the merit of Poseidon’s chosen leader—[i]back up[/i] chosen leader. To her surprise, he fared well… Well enough to earn a modicum of respect from her, although she did not voice it or make it evident beyond a small nod of her head as he approached. [color=bd1664]"9 minutes and 37 seconds,"[/color] she offered up his time along with the clipboard and stopwatch. 15 minutes to run the course was easily doable… [i]for her,[/i] but for everyone? Andy’s gaze scanned the faces of the various campers, new and old, weighing their likelihood of finishing in time. It wasn’t the worst. Over a minute per obstacle seemed like a fair enough balance, but there were other factors to take into account. Too focused on figuring out how [i]she[/i] would run the training, she missed the tailend of River’s instructions until she heard her name. [color=86a8ad]"First up is Sloane, Sylas, Nate, Maylisse and Andy…"[/color] [color=bd1664]"[i]Oh shit,[/i]"[/color] the words slipped out with a stunned sigh. Andy always preferred going first, it meant she could get it over with without getting the chance to overthink it or get anxious… She just wasn’t prepared. Mason gave her a small reassuring smile as he released her arm. She ran her palms along her thighs, sighed, then stood up. Before she managed to take a single step forward, she felt a light tap against her butt. She jumped from slight surprise and flashed him an incredulous look over her shoulder, contrasted by a faint smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. [color=B45F06]"Go get ‘em."[/color] Andy made her way over toward the tires, adjusting her outfit as she walked to make sure everything was secure: tugging the legs of her shorts down, the waistband up, adjusting the hem of her shirt and slipping her thumbs through the small holes in the sleeves. She looked at the others who approached with her, sizing them up silently. It might not have been a race, but she was competitive and felt the need to out perform the others, if only because she made the damn course herself. Sylas would be a challenge, but she had bested him before. Sloane had proven herself ingenious but she—[i]unfortunately[/i]—wasn’t the most physically inclined. The brunette looked capable, and then Nate… A pit immediately grew in her stomach, twisting and knotting as she recalled the party the night before. Andy sucked in a sharp breath and stepped in line beside him. She took a second to start stretching her quads while trying to form a somewhat decent apology. Finally, she turned toward Nate as she held her left arm straight across her chest mid-stretch. [color=bd1664]"I’m sorry… about last night."[/color] She switched arms with a soft sigh. [color=bd1664]"I should have said something. I always thought those girls who immediately drop the [i]‘I have a boyfriend’[/i] shit were…"[/color] Her face scrunched as she tried to find the right word but fell short. [color=bd1664]"It doesn’t matter. It was shitty. I’m sorry if I led you on and for how my boyfriend acted."[/color] She didn’t know if Nate would forgive her or if he gave a shit one way or the other, but she tried… It was the best she could do. With her conscience clear, Andy turned toward the tires splayed out before her and tightened her ponytail. She readied herself with bent knees, lightly rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet to build momentum until she heard River signal their start. Then she was off, floating through the tires swift and nimble, not missing a beat. Through the log jumps and the low crawl Andy was quick and agile, using her experience to her advantage to pull ahead of the rest of the group. But her lead was quickly lost when it came to the rope climb. She had a solid technique but her height and upper body strength couldn’t match Sylas’s. He reached the top a few seconds before her and descended faster. Watching him run ahead of her lit a fire under her and ignited a second burst of energy. Andy was hot on his heels through the net bridge, tip toeing across the center rope like a tightwire. The second Sylas hit the platform she was there, grabbing one of the ropes and swinging across the pool of water in sync with him. She stuck the landing where he stumbled and didn’t waste a beat getting to the balance beams. She sacrificed the security of balance for speed and sprinted along the beams in long strides, reaching the end before her body got the chance to try and tip over. She was across the pool first, but Sylas’s height gave him a natural advantage again. Worried he would gain on her while climbing the giant ladder, Andy attacked it like a monkey. She kicked off the logs to try and skip a rung, then hoisted herself up, ignoring the burning ache that flared in her muscles. On the way down she was swift, skipping the last few rungs and dropping to the ground below. A sharp pain radiated through her feet from the drop, but she pushed through it, sprinting to the final obstacle. Andy gritted her teeth, using her last burst of energy for the final push and cleared the long jump a handful of seconds before Sylas. An exhausted but triumphant laugh fell from her lips between pants as she gave him a pat on his back that he promptly shrugged off with an indignant huff. While Sylas didn’t wait around to see how everyone else fared, Andy lingered near the finish line hovering in the general proximity of River. Unable to help herself, she leaned toward him trying to sneak a peek at the times while softly clapping for the brunette girl and Nate as they completed the final obstacle. [color=bd1664]"[i]So[/i]… What’s my time?"[/color] River looked up to see Sloane climbing out of the pool and heading towards the ladder before sparing Andy a sideways glance. He squinted for a second before rolling his eyes and looking down at his clipboard. [color=86a8ad]"10 minutes and 3 seconds."[/color] [color=bd1664]"[i]Damn.[/i]"[/color] She let out a weak laugh mixed with a pant as she rested her hands on her hips. [color=bd1664]"I was trying to beat you,"[/color] she confessed with a guilty shrug. Andy’s attention turned back to Sloane as she ascended the ladder. To her credit the girl had drive and determination which meant a lot, at least in her eyes. She nodded along in silent encouragement watching the girl’s hand and foot placement. [color=bd1664]"[i]Good. Good,[/i]"[/color] she muttered under her breath, not daring to say anything loud enough to throw her off. Then, so close to the bottom, she slipped and fell to the ground with a thud. Andy winced and sucked in a sharp, sympathetic breath. There was a second where she considered going to help, but Sloane waved it off with a steadfast resolve and managed to push through to the end despite it all. On her way to the stands, Andy detoured past Sloane, flashing her a small smile and a thumbs up in silent reassurance. She then found her way back to Mason, waiting right where she left him. [color=bd1664]"Thank the Gods you have upper body strength,"[/color] she commented with a huff as she lowered herself into the space beside him. Unfortunately she was only able to enjoy his company for one round before his name was called. Then following his lead, when Mason stood up Andy gave his butt a slap that may or may not have been a bit more [i]snappy[/i] than the one he gave her. [color=bd1664]"Go get ‘em, tiger,"[/color] she called after him. There was even a second where she thought about whistling for a little extra [i]flare[/i], but she knew he’d be pissed if she made that big of a scene… Even if it would have been hilarious. Like someone watching a sporting event, Andy leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees as she watched Mason’s run intently. Most of the faces that ran alongside him were unfamiliar to her other than Nelly, so there was no guilt in silently cheering for him to do better than the rest. Whenever he hit an obstacle that called for upper body strength, she shamelessly snuck glances at his muscles before forcing her focus to shift to his technique. It was difficult sometimes, considering he was [i]insanely[/i] attractive, but she wanted him to do well. More importantly Andy wanted him to excel at all of his training so she’d never have to worry about his wellbeing again like she had to during Pandora’s box. In the end, he didn’t finish first but that was hardly a surprise when Nelly seemed like she was pumped full of a gallon of espresso every morning. Second wasn’t bad, it was good even, considering he was hot on her trail and even passed her for a bit. Andy was surprised he chose to linger as the others finished rather than hurry off, but whenever she caught his gaze she gave him a warm smile and a thumbs up from where she sat in the stands. Without any other runs she was particularly interested in beyond Trinity’s—it wasn’t like it was her job to care anymore, or at least that’s what she tried to tell herself—she settled back into her seat, elbows propped against the bench behind her and legs crossed, simply waiting to be dismissed… She had more exciting things to look forward to compared to training anyway.[/color][/justify][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent] [center][sup][img]https://i.imgur.com/9qIY4OK.jpeg[/img] [color=808080][b]interactions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] mason, nate & river [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]mentions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] sylas, maylisse, nelly & trinity [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]collabs[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] none[/color] [img]https://i.imgur.com/9qIY4OK.jpeg[/img][/sup][/center]