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[indent][indent][indent][color=#0bbdaf]"Hi, Anissa."[/color]

[color=#808080]The voice cut through the low hum of the arena. Anissa flinched, glancing up as her name pulled her from her thoughts. It took a second to place the speaker, her mind still adrift and anchored only by the urgency of getting Blair to this bench. Then recognition arrived, a soft electric pulse of memory.

Tapeesa. 

She remembered spotting Tapeesa in the thinning crowd at the party—strangely, among the first to leave before midnight. Anissa had lifted a hand then, an attempt to catch her attention, only to let it fall again, unseen. Now, of course, the memory was hazy at the edges. Perhaps her gesture hadn’t been as obvious as she’d thought. Still, the recollection carried a faint sting of embarrassment… and, oddly, a thread of relief at seeing Tapeesa now, looking more like her usual, brighter self.[/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“Hey,”[/color][color=#808080] Anissa said, her voice quieter than she intended. She offered a slight nod in return. A flicker of curiosity rose—what had prompted Tapeesa to approach?—but the question soon answered itself. [/color]

[color=#808080]She didn’t speak up or offer any explanation when Tapeesa introduced herself. From where she sat, Anissa simply observed the exchange unfold, choosing not to intervene or soften the interaction on her friend’s behalf. This wasn’t her place to mediate, even when Blair’s immediate response was guarded suspicion rather than gratitude. Anissa didn’t find it rude, as it felt like a reflex born from being too accustomed to help that came with strings attached. She understood it. Gods knew she did. Still, watching that same wariness cross Blair’s face before she gave consent felt unsettling in a way that was difficult to put into words. [/color]

[color=#808080]As Tapeesa began to work, Anissa turned her eyes away. Some acts, even those performed in the open air before a scattered audience, demanded a kind of privacy. Still, she sensed the change in Blair immediately: a slow, deep breath drawn where before there had been only shallow hitches, the rigid line of her shoulders softening, the ashen pallor of her skin warming back toward its usual hue. Magic. It was always something else. Within minutes, Blair seemed to inhabit her own body again, any grimace of pain replaced by mere exhaustion as the session concluded.[/color]

[color=#808080]Tapeesa rose, meeting Blair’s tired but genuine smile with a quiet one of her own. Anissa opened her mouth, a sudden impulse to speak not as a go-between but as a witness—to thank her, to say she was glad to see her—but the words lodged in her throat. And then, too swiftly, Tapeesa was turning to go.[/color]

[color=#808080][i]Shoot.[/i][/color]

[color=#808080]In the end, Anissa settled back beside Blair, resolving to thank Tapeesa properly when the next opportunity arose. It would be a simple acknowledgment since some things deserved to be said, even if belatedly.[/color]

[color=#808080]Ironically, that moment arrived sooner than expected. Two groups later, River’s voice cut through the arena once more.[/color]

[color=#86a8ad]"Next up: Evelyn, Ariana, Tapeesa, Wes, and Anissa." [/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa's stomach dipped.[/color]

[color=#808080]She rose from the bench with a quiet exhale, her limbs both too light and impossibly heavy. Driven by a nervous curiosity, or maybe a dose of pure masochism, her gaze drifted toward the small cluster of contestants gathering near the starting line. She found Tapeesa easily. Then her eyes caught on another figure approaching the mark, and they stubbornly refused to move on.[/color]

[color=#808080]Tall. Broad-shouldered. Shirtless. [/color]

[color=#808080]And–[/color]

[color=#808080]One arm.[/color]

[color=#808080]The realization struck a heartbeat later, a jolt of surprise that made her glance away a little too fast. He was strikingly handsome in a way that felt almost deliberate, a light sheen of sweat already highlighting the planes of his chest as if he’d emerged from some athletic editorial and not the scattered crowd. [color=#5a3e85][i]That’s the only reason you noticed,[/i][/color] she told herself firmly. That, and the undeniable, obvious fact of his missing shirt and missing limb.[/color]

[color=#808080]Yup. That had to be it. [/color]

[i][color=#5a3e85]Stop fucking staring, weirdo, [/color][/i][color=#808080]she scolded herself, giving a slight shake of her head as if to physically dislodge the thought. She turned back to Blair.[/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“Hey,” [/color][color=#808080]Anissa murmured, reaching up to slide her sunglasses from where they were perched in her hair. She pressed them into Blair’s palm, followed by the tube of lip balm from her pocket. Her fingers brushed the useless brick of her phone, but she left it there. At least it could serve as a personal timer or something. Then, after the briefest pause, she added the carefully folded napkin, placing it atop the small pile in Blair’s hand as though it were something fragile.[/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“Mind hanging onto these for me?”[/color]

[color=#808080]Her tone was casual, but her eyes flicked up to Blair’s face with a wordless plea. [/color][i][color=#5a3e85]Please don’t ask. [/color][/i][color=#808080]The napkin, especially, felt heavier than it should have, inked with something unfinished and something she didn’t want rattling around in her pocket while she tried to climb ropes and misjudged distances.[/color]

[color=#808080]Once Blair had taken the items, Anissa straightened up, rolling her shoulders back in a resetting motion. She drew one steadying breath and turned toward the course. As she reached the edge of the starting area, she sensed a presence easing into step just to her left. She glanced over.[/color]

[color=#808080]Tapeesa had slipped back beside her, apparently having stepped away for something Anissa hadn’t noticed. And somehow, up close, the girl seemed different. Not injured exactly, but… dimmed. The brighter, more present person from minutes before had faded, like a light turned low. Was she nervous? Anissa hesitated, a question hovering unspoken between them. Should she say something?[/color]

[color=#0bbdaf]"I like your shirt."[/color]

[color=#808080]The compliment caught Anissa off guard. She glanced down, following Tapeesa’s gaze to the oversized sweatshirt and its sloth emblem, which gazed back with its characteristically serene expression. A small, genuine smile touched Anissa’s lips.[/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“Thanks,” [/color][color=#808080]she replied, her tone matching Tapeesa’s for quietness. She ran a finger over the sloth’s tranquil, sleeping face. [/color][color=#5a3e85]“He felt… pretty appropriate today.”[/color]

[color=#808080]Tapeesa laughed softly. [/color][color=#0bbdaf]"I would say so."[/color]

[color=#808080]As Tapeesa looked back up, her focus abruptly snagged on something behind Anissa, her attention catching like fabric on a nail. Anissa felt her own gaze begin to drift—not to follow Tapeesa’s, but forward, landing irresistibly on River, who remained, conspicuously, without a shirt.[/color]

[color=#808080]Oh.[/color]
[color=#808080]Right.[/color]
[color=#808080]That was… still happening.[/color]
[color=#808080]What was he trying to do? Make things harder for her? [/color]
[color=#808080]And why oh why was she being so [/color][color=#808080][i]ungrateful[/i][/color][color=#808080] about it?[/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa blinked once. Then twice. As if that might somehow undo the image currently searing itself into her retinas. [/color]

[color=#808080]It did not. [/color]

[color=#808080]So, she went to plan B.[/color]

[color=#808080]Her hand dipped into her sweatshirt pocket, fingers closing around the solid rectangle of her phone. Wrapped around it were her earphones—an old, automatic habit born from years of needing a swift escape from overwhelming spaces. She untangled the cord with practiced ease and slipped the silicone tips into her ears. The gentle seal instantly muffled the arena’s din, reducing it to a distant, manageable rumble.[/color]

[color=#808080]Only then did she let herself look down. [/color]

[color=#808080]Her thumb hovered for a second before touching the screen. It lit up beneath her touch, revealing the lock screen photo she had seen countless times yet never grew accustomed to: her mother, an arm draped around Anissa’s shoulders, both of them caught in a moment of unrestrained laughter. Sunlight streamed from behind them, bright and forgiving. The photo was older—Anissa’s face looked softer, younger—and her mother looked vibrant. Beautiful. Most of all, she looked present, solid and real in a way that now, years later, carried a persistent ache.[/color]

[color=#808080]She missed her. Missed her more here than she’d ever imagined she would. But now was not the time to dwell on how or, more importantly, what she would ever say once they got into contact again. [/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa unlocked her phone and went straight to Spotify, navigating to her downloads through muscle memory alone. No Wi-Fi, no overthinking, just the immediate need for a soundtrack with a beat to disappear into as she ran. [/color]

[color=#808080]Her thumb hovered over a track that felt right, but then she noticed Tapeesa again in her periphery. The other girl’s expression was drawn and distant; Anissa read it plainly as nerves. [/color][i][color=#5a3e85]That won’t do,[/color][/i][color=#808080] she thought. However their day had unfolded, Tapeesa had been solid when Blair needed someone.[/color]

[color=#808080]So, she lightly nudged the other girl’s elbow with her own. [/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“Hey, thanks for… being so caring?” [/color][color=#808080]Anissa murmured, her voice carrying a warmth that felt both genuine and a little awkward. She offered a small thumbs-up. [/color][color=#5a3e85]“You’ve got this.”[/color]

[color=#0bbdaf]"Oh," [/color][color=#808080]Tappi replied, a bit stunned at first. [/color][color=#0bbdaf]"Sure."[/color][color=#808080] She returned the thumbs-up with one of her own. [/color][color=#0bbdaf]"You too." [/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa acknowledged her with a faint smile before letting her attention fall back to the screen. She bypassed her regular mix—heavy with Halsey’s contemplative energy, all wrong for this moment—and instead tapped her “Oldies but Goldies” playlist. She selected the first [url=https://youtu.be/iSC4P1i9zmE?si=0pzSd0MPQpYJp-Sw]track[/url] without ceremony, the second [url=https://youtu.be/A2VpR8HahKc?si=eDUPsULRILzppttB]track[/url] already queued to follow. [/color]

[color=#808080]The opening synth notes bloomed in her ears, crisp and propulsive. She stuffed the phone back into her pocket just as River signalled for them to begin.[/color]

[color=#808080]Bodies surged forward in a sudden rush of momentum. Someone shot ahead immediately—Wes, the man with one arm—moving with a focused velocity that seemed to pull the very air along with him. In contrast, Tapeesa, who had been beside Anissa a moment before, now seemed to wade through invisible currents behind her, her steps laboured as if weighed down by something far heavier than hesitation.[/color]

[color=#808080]But Anissa couldn’t prioritize her. Even though she’d only vaguely absorbed the assessment rules, something told her there were no points for helping others, not after what had happened with Blair and others like her. So she stepped into motion instead, letting the opening swell of “Midnight City” lock into her pace. Not too slow, but not so fast she’d risk an early stumble. Not fucking happening.[/color]

[color=#808080]The first tire dipped under her weight as her foot landed inside it, the thick rubber flexing beneath her shoe. She adjusted without conscious thought, her knees lifting a little higher, her stride shortening into a quick, stable rhythm. Left, right, left again. A cadence took hold, her body syncing to the private beat in her ears rather than the chaos unfolding around her.[/color]

[color=#808080]The logs had seemed far more manageable from a distance. Up close, however, the graduated heights became impossible to ignore. Each one stood taller than the last, a series of rising challenges that demanded more than a single, repetitive strategy.[/color]

[color=#808080]Oh well. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d had to improvise.[/color]

[color=#808080]The first log was trivial, barely a foot off the ground. Anissa cleared it without breaking stride. The second followed just as smoothly, requiring only a slightly higher knee lift that still felt well within her comfort zone. Her body relaxed into the motion, the driving synth in her ears syncing perfectly with her footfalls, making the initial pace feel almost like a dance.[/color]

[color=#808080]The third log, however, gave her pause.[/color]

[color=#808080]At three feet high, it stood squarely against her center of gravity. A clean jump felt risky, so she instinctively slowed, planting her palms firmly on the sun-warmed, rough-hewn surface. She swung one leg over, then the other, briefly straddling the beam before pushing off to land on the far side.[/color]

[color=#808080]The fourth one…[i]Gods[/i]. Anissa huffed out a breath, her shoulders already warm with gathering fatigue. Jumping was out of the question here, too, she decided. Instead, she climbed again, palms grinding against the coarse grain as she hauled herself up, her core tightening to pivot her weight over the wide beam. [/color]

[color=#808080]And that wasn’t even the last one.[/color]

[color=#808080]The final log loomed ahead, a solid, unapologetic five feet of timber. [i]Wonderful[/i].[/color]

[color=#808080]For a split second, Anissa hesitated. Then she stepped closer. She gripped the log, fingers curling tight, and climbed it carefully. It took more time than she liked, arms burning by the time she swung a leg over, but she refused to rush it. When she finally dropped down, she landed solidly, breath tearing from her lungs as her feet hit the ground.[/color]

[color=#808080]Next was the low crawl. Almost before she registered the change, Anissa was down on her hands and knees, the packed earth cool and unforgiving beneath her palms. Dirt immediately worked its way under her fingernails—a minor tragedy she mourned internally—and clung to the sleeves and front of her sweatshirt, seeming to target the serene sloth printed there. Some tired part of her mind remarked that this was probably not the tranquil, tree-dwelling existence her shirt advertised.[/color]

[color=#808080]Surprisingly, though, it wasn’t all terrible.[/color]

[color=#808080]At 5'3", she didn’t have to fight the netting the way taller competitors did. She tucked her elbows in, kept her head low, and moved with a grim, functional rhythm. Drag. Shift. Breathe. Repeat. The music in her ears smoothed the journey, turning the arduous crawl into something almost meditative—if meditation involved grit in your teeth and the distinct, unsettling sense of being publicly perceived in a way she had never consented to, spiritually or otherwise.[/color]

[color=#808080]The next obstacle, however, was the one Anissa had dreaded most: the rope climb. She slowed despite herself, tilting her head back to stare up at its daunting length…then up a little more…finally realizing she had severely underestimated it. From the ground, the thick rope stretched toward the sky as if it had a personal vendetta. Against her, specifically.[/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa reached it just in time to see the aftermath of Wes’s attempt, his fall already resolved, but his momentum carrying him forward toward the next obstacle as if nothing had happened. Tapeesa, meanwhile, was still high up on the rope beside her, clinging with determined focus that made Anissa’s shoulders tense in sympathy.[/color]

[color=#808080]Swallowing a flutter of nerves, she stepped forward regardless.[/color]

[color=#808080]She wiped her gloved hands against her leggings, took a firm grip on the coarse, bristling rope, and jumped.[/color]

[color=#808080]For one brief, glorious moment, it almost worked.[/color]

[color=#808080]Her feet caught, thighs tightening instinctively as she hauled herself up a few precious inches. A system almost clicked into place—hands pulling, legs clamping—but her arms ignited with strain immediately, her shoulders protesting with a sharp, burning ache. The smooth rhythm she’d imagined shattered into a clumsy, desperate scramble.[/color]

[color=#808080]Up a little.[/color]
[color=#808080]Down a little.[/color]
[color=#808080]Up. Oh…nope. Down some more.[/color]

[color=#808080]She stalled barely a third of the way up, chest heaving, and let her forehead rest against the rope as she gasped for air. The music in her ears seemed to warp under the strain, the synths stretching into a distant echo as her grip began to weaken. [/color][i][color=#5a3e85]This is impossible, [/color][/i][color=#808080]she admitted inwardly. She lacked Tapeesa’s raw upper-body strength and, frankly, the sheer will to risk a higher fall. No, thank you. [/color]

[color=#808080]Regardless, Anissa descended a little and hung there longer than was sensible. Longer than could be considered strategic. So long that the idea she was “just pacing herself” became a fiction even she couldn’t believe. Finally, because embarrassment had its limits but self-awareness did not, she turned her head.[/color]

[color=#808080]River was there. Stopwatch idle. Posture relaxed. Watching the last two girls in their group still crawling through the dirt at first, before his attention finally shifted her way.[/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa didn’t look away.[/color]

[color=#808080]She just… stared back.[/color]

[color=#808080]Still clinging to the rope. Still trembling. Very clearly not climbing another inch.[/color]

[color=#808080]One second passed.[/color]
[color=#808080]Then another.[/color]

[color=#808080]Her expression was flat. Thoughtful. Just faintly accusatory.[/color]

[color=#808080]At last, Anissa shifted her grip just enough to free one hand, tugging one earbud loose so she could actually hear whatever was coming next. But first, to make her intent unmistakably clear, she pointed at the rope. Then at herself. Then, very deliberately, she crooked her finger in a subtle [/color][color=#808080][i]come here[/i][/color][color=#808080] gesture.[/color]

[color=#808080]When he was close enough for her to keep her voice low, she leaned in slightly and said the first thing that came to mind.[/color]

[color=#808080]Which, historically, was never her safest choice.[/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“River…,” [/color][color=#808080]she began, her tone deceptively earnest for half a breath before tilting into something lighter, almost conspiratorial.[color=#5a3e85] “How can you expect me to striptease for you in front of the other kids?”[/color]

River looked up at her as she dangled a few feet higher than him, tucking his clipboard beneath his left arm, pinning it between his bicep and bare chest. He cupped his hands together, tilting his head to the side as his brows tugged together in slight amusement. While he had a subtle confidence in his role as a leader, opposite her, the authority made him feel like she didn’t have quite as much sway over him, even if he knew the opposite couldn’t be truer. Anissa’s words still made him flush, but he retained enough of his composure to look [i]fairly[/i] unbothered to anyone else, while his gaze showed a shadow of his thoughts to only her.

[color=86a8ad]"Is that your plan? Seduce me?"[/color] The thought of her giving him a striptease was a welcome mental image, although maybe not in the presence of the entire camp, but there was a faint glint in his eyes that betrayed his interest where he remained as… [i]professional[/i] as possible. [color=86a8ad]"Where the record stands, I’ve currently done more stripping."[/color] He looked down at his bare chest before shifting his gaze back up to her.[/color]

[color=#808080]The heat reached Anissa’s cheeks a moment before she fully registered the words themselves. Where did that even come from? She’d expected to startle him, maybe fluster him a little, which was the usual result when something that wildly out of pocket left her mouth. Instead, he remained maddeningly composed. Unfazed.[/color]

[color=#808080]And still, infuriatingly, shirtless. That fact alone felt like a low blow.[/color]

[color=#808080]Her eyes betrayed her, dipping for a split-second to the defined lines of his chest before darting back to his face. She pressed her lips together, fighting a smile she couldn’t quite suppress. There she was, dangling from a rope with trembling arms, her dignity fraying just as fast as her grip. Gods, she really didn’t want to fall and add another person to Tapeesa’s list.[/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“…I think you’d be disappointed by my technique,” [/color][color=#808080]Anissa finally managed, her voice breathless from strain rather than any intended allure. So much for sounding capable.[/color]

[color=#808080]Then, because she had clearly abandoned all instinct for self-preservation today, she added with a light,  conversational air,

[color=#5a3e85]“You’ve never seen me dance.”[/color]

His gaze slowly trailed from her eyes, down to her shoulder, along her arm and up to her trembling hand. River was quietly impressed that she was able to hold herself up for so long. No doubt her approach wasn’t quite working in her favor, prolonging her time on the rope, but her comments still made a smile slowly curve across his face, contrasting his strong jaw. [color=86a8ad]"I’m familiar with [i]some[/i] of your techniques,"[/color] he commented low and quiet so only she could hear as his eyes slowly drifted back to meet her gaze. [color=86a8ad]"If that’s an offer, you can show me… [i]After[/i] training."[/color] His grin shifted slightly, a touch of mischievousness coloring his words.[/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. [/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“Huh?” [/color]

[color=#808080]It was not her finest response, she had to admit. But the way River was looking at her made her think of hands—his, specifically—and how they must have felt sliding across her skin last night. He’d seen some of her [/color][color=#808080][i]techniques.[/i][/color][color=#808080] What the fuck did that even mean?[/color]

[color=#808080]The thought left her thoroughly flustered, her mind blanking entirely. This time, the heat that rushed through her wasn’t confined to her cheeks; it spread downward, sudden and distracting. Her fingers slackened on the rope just enough for her to slide several inches before she caught herself with a sharp gasp. Her thighs clamped tight, her arms screaming in protest, begging her to simply let go already. [/color]

[color=#808080]She shot River a wide-eyed look before scrambling to reclaim her grip. Her pulse hammered loudly in her ears, syncopated with the distant thump of Daft Punk’s [/color][color=#808080][i]One More Time[/i][/color][color=#808080] leaking from her dangling earbud.[/color]

[color=#808080]She cleared her throat, desperate to form any kind of coherent reply. But for what felt like the first time in her life, Anissa Quinn had nothing to say.

It was only then that River’s face grew red and a glimpse of his usual anxious and flustered nature slipped out. A moment ago he was almost at ease in the [i]comfort[/i] of their flirtatious back and forth, like a door had been left open to explore after the night they shared. But now he felt like he overstepped, said too much… somehow slipped too deeply into the possibility of what it all meant. His smile faded, just a fraction, and the confidence he had to look her straight in the eyes vanished as his gaze fell to the rope that dangled beneath her. 

When she lost her grip, there was a fraction of a second where he acted. River took a half step forward and started to extend his hands to help her, but he caught himself as his clipboard slipped from where he had it pinned and fell to the ground. That was the kind of favoritism he couldn't have. He said no help… that meant him too. His hands clenched until his knuckles went white, frozen as tried to regain his composure. He cleared his throat, leaning down to pick up the dropped board. [color=86a8ad]"Sorry,"[/color] he muttered quietly as he stood back up. 

He let his gaze find hers, if only to try and see a glimpse of her thoughts behind her eyes… but all he saw was confusion. River's posture straightened as he took a step back and looked anywhere else. [color=86a8ad]"You [i]uh[/i]... Can move onto the next obstacle."[/color][/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa registered the shift in an overwhelming rush.[/color]

[color=#808080]The sudden flush that colored River’s cheeks. The way his gaze dropped, as though he’d just remembered the strict, public rules of the world they were currently occupying. The sharp clatter of his clipboard hitting the ground echoed between them, a startling punctuation mark to a sentence left hanging.[/color]

[i][color=#808080]Oh.[/color][/i]

[color=#808080]That… was not the reaction she had anticipated.[/color]

[color=#808080]When his hands twitched toward her only to freeze, and when he withdrew into a posture that was professional and detached once more, it stole the breath from her lungs more effectively than the attempted climb ever had. A cold doubt seeped in. Had she pushed too far? Said too much? Hadn’t said enough at all? [/color]

[color=#808080]And then his apology lodged somewhere uncomfortable in her chest. [/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa looked down at him from her perch, truly seeing him, and for once resisted the urge to hide behind a joke or a deflection. Instead, she offered a small, acknowledging nod. It was simple. Understanding. [/color][color=#808080][i]Message received.[/i][/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“Yeah,” [/color][color=#808080]she murmured, her voice soft and breathless.[/color][color=#5a3e85] “Okay.”[/color]

[color=#808080]She swallowed against the tightness in her throat, her muscles screaming in protest as she descended the last few feet of rope. Her shoes met the dirt with a soft thud, and she turned mechanically toward the next obstacle, fumbling her earbud back into place. She fought the impulse to glance back, and won, but the sensation of his eyes following her was a tangible heat between her shoulder blades. Her heartbeat, still racing from the physical exertion, kicked into a faster, more frantic rhythm as a vivid fragment of memory surfaced—the feel of his mouth against the sensitive skin of her neck the night before[/color]

[color=#808080]After that, it was a battle to walk normally and not spin around to confront him, to demand he explain this confusing push-and-pull between them and define what, if anything, it meant now.[/color]

[color=#808080]But she couldn’t. She wouldn’t. [/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa reached the rope bridge just as Tapeesa and Wes were picking their way across. A deep, tired burn had settled into her shoulders and arms, a persistent ache that served as a bodily reminder not to assume too much. She paused briefly, shaking out her hands as if she could dispel the fatigue. It lingered stubbornly, but the motion gave her a moment to steady her breathing.[/color]

[color=#808080]The bridge shuddered and swayed with the movements of the others, long before she set foot on the first piece of netting. Her eyes tracked Tapeesa, who was now caught in a struggle with a segment near the far end. Anissa winced in sympathy as the girl’s momentum worked against her, tangling her further. Ouch. That looked utterly frustrating. [/color]

[color=#808080]But what was a tangled net compared to the bewildering emotional collision she’d just experienced? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.[/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa stepped further onto the bridge, bending her knees slightly and lifting her arms out for balance. The ropes groaned and dipped under her weight, the entire structure shifting in a slow, nauseating roll that made her stomach pitch. She adapted quickly, taking short steps and fixing her gaze on the far platform. Don’t look down. Don’t rush. Just keep moving.[/color]

[color=#808080]Halfway across, the sway intensified. The world tilted, the edges of the arena blurring as her sense of balance rebelled. Anissa let out a sharp hiss, her knuckles whitening where she gripped the rough guide ropes. She paused, forcing herself to wait out the motion, and concentrated on slowing her breath. In. Out. [/color][i][color=#5a3e85]You’re fine. You’re literally fine. If you were going to die here, you’d know by now.[/color][/i]

[color=#808080]Ahead of her, she became acutely aware of Wes. He was moving with careful deliberation, his shoulder braced against the netting for stability. It wasn’t pretty, but it was smart, as he wasn’t fighting the bridge’s instability; he was working with it. Anissa felt a bit of respect for the tactic, even as she caught up to and navigated past him.[/color]

[color=#808080]When she finally stepped off onto solid ground, her relief was immediate and intense, her shoulders sagging as she let out a shaky exhale she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.[/color]

[color=#808080]Another obstacle down. The rope swing was next. [/color]

[color=#808080]By the time Anissa reached the platform, Tapeesa had just cleared the gap and was scrambling toward the balance beams, wearing the slightly frantic expression of someone who had escaped disaster rather than mastered a challenge.[/color]

[color=#808080]Good.[/color]
[color=#808080]That meant there was no pressure at all for her. [/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa slowed, rolling her shoulders once as she eyed the rope. It hung there innocently enough, swaying just a fraction from Tapeesa’s jump. The pool beneath it glimmered up at her like an invitation. Or a threat. Hard to tell. [/color][i][color=#5a3e85]Okay,[/color][/i][color=#808080] she thought,[/color][i][color=#5a3e85] you can do this. It’s literally just a rope. Children do this. Children with less coordination than you.[/color][/i]

[color=#808080]Her arms immediately responded by throbbing in protest, as if offended by the comparison and the fact that she’d just put them through hell on the rope climb. [/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa flexed her fingers, wiped her damp palms on her leggings for a better grip, and drew one steadying breath. She grabbed the coarse rope, tested its solid weight, and backed up to the very edge of the platform. She rocked forward onto her toes, then back onto her heels, building momentum the way she used to before leaping into a cold lake.[/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“One, two—” [/color][color=#808080]she muttered under her breath. [/color]

[color=#808080]Then, Anissa ran. [/color]

[color=#808080]The jump was clean. The arc felt right. For a glorious second, she was airborne, weightless, the world narrowing down to motion and grip and wind rushing past her ears. [/color][color=#5a3e85][i]Oh, hey,[/i][/color][color=#808080] she thought distantly,[/color][i][color=#5a3e85] this is actually—[/color][/i]

[color=#808080]Her feet struck the far edge a fraction too close to the water.[/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“—shit.”[/color]

[color=#808080]Like Tapeesa before her, Anissa windmilled her arms wildly, one foot skidding perilously over the rim. It was a deeply ungraceful, entirely instinctual dance for survival. The rope swung back behind her, useless now, as she fought for equilibrium, every muscle in her body firing at once.[/color]

[i][color=#5a3e85]Don’t you dare fall, you bitch, [/color][/i][color=#808080]her mind screamed.[/color]

[color=#808080]And with what seemed like willpower alone, somehow Anissa stayed upright. She froze there for a beat, chest heaving, eyes wide, as if the ground might change its mind and betray her anyway.[/color]

[color=#808080]It didn’t.[/color]

[color=#808080]A breathless, slightly hysterical laugh escaped Anissa before she could contain it. She shook out her tingling hands and pushed forward toward the balance beams. The sound surprised her—not because it was inappropriate (though it probably was, for the sake of the others, all thankfully out of earshot), but because it felt like the kind of laugh that surfaces when adrenaline has no other outlet.[/color]

[color=#808080]Tapeesa reached the beams first, still breathing heavily from the rope swing. Her movements were deliberate as she stepped onto the narrow, sloping timber. Anissa followed a few steps behind, her pace instinctively slowing as she neared the obstacle. Her eyes traced the beam’s length, anticipating nerves, exposure, and the particular cruelty of an obstacle that punishes doubt more than clumsiness.[/color]

[color=#808080]Instead, she found herself unexpectedly calm.[/color]

[color=#808080]Actually…she kinda [/color][i][color=#808080]liked[/color][/i][color=#808080] it.[/color]

[color=#808080]The beam wobbled beneath her foot, and for a split second, Anissa braced, waiting for gravity to claim its due. But her body corrected before her mind could panic, her weight redistributing in a way that felt almost lazy in its confidence.[/color]

[color=#808080]Ice skating. That’s what this was like. [/color]

[color=#808080]Cold air burning her lungs, the scrape of blades against ice, and arms stretched wide as counterweights. Falling, getting back up, learning again and again not to lock up when the ground stopped behaving the way it was supposed to. You didn’t fight that kind of instability. You listened to it. Let it tell you where you needed to be.[/color]

[color=#808080]She surrendered to that same instinct now, allowing the rest of the arena to fade away. Momentum and subtle shifts, not force, continued to carry her forward.[/color]

[color=#808080]Ahead, halfway up the incline, Tapeesa faltered. It began as a slight hitch in her step, a tiny misplacement of weight. Then the wobble became a violent shudder, and Tapeesa pitched sideways, catching herself on her hands and knees just beside the beam.[/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa’s breath caught. She slowed immediately, her heart leaping into her throat. Every impulse screamed at her to stop, to turn back, to help. But she couldn’t. The rules were clear in such a way that even River couldn’t shield her from the consequences of breaking them now. So she did the only thing permitted: she adjusted.[/color]

[color=#808080]Without fanfare or haste, Anissa took the lead, passing Tapeesa with only a swift, glancing look—a silent [/color][color=#808080][i]Are you okay[/i][/color][color=#808080]?—before continuing onward.[/color]

[color=#808080]Yet as she approached the next obstacle, her body betrayed her again, her pace slowing almost without her consent.[/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa’s chest constricted, her breath turning shallow as her eyes fixed on the smooth, glassy surface of the pool. For a moment, the world seemed to tilt—not from physical imbalance, but from the sudden, unwelcome reminder of that damned nightmare. She swallowed hard, her feet glued to the spot.[/color]

[color=#808080]Then, cruel and clear all at once, her mind corrected the record. [/color]

[color=#808080]It hadn’t been her in danger. It had been River.[/color]

[color=#808080]And he was fine. He was standing right there. Stopwatch in hand. Watching. Breathing. Solid and vividly real in a way her nightmares never were—at least, not until they somehow bled into waking life.[/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa let out a slow exhale. She reached up, tugged one earbud free, then the other, silencing the music mid-chorus. The abrupt quiet felt intimate, almost vulnerable, like stepping into a private room unannounced. She wound the cords around her phone once, twice, and before hesitation could take hold, she walked toward River, extending the device in both hands.[/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“Could you hold onto this for me?”[/color][color=#808080] she asked.[/color]

[color=#808080]Her hand was steadier than she’d expected. What Anissa hadn’t expected was the way his fingers brushed hers during the exchange—brief, unintentional, but lingering just enough to send a restrained shiver down her spine. She didn’t give herself the chance to read into it. Didn’t give herself the chance to make it weird. The phone was out of her hands, and that was that.[/color]

[color=#808080]She took a step back, peeled the oversized sweatshirt over her head, and tucked it neatly beside the pool, out of everyone’s path. The sloth had served its purpose; it deserved a quiet retirement until she collected it later. Besides, the sports bra she wore underneath felt lighter, freer, and less like something that could weigh her down or betray her once she entered the water.[/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa returned to the pool’s edge, toes curling slightly against the cool surface. One more heartbeat of hesitation, prompted more by memory than by fear, and then she drew a deep breath and jumped.[/color]

[color=#808080]The water swallowed her in a rush of cold that punched the air from her lungs. This was not the cold, endless abyss from her dream, though. This was contained, chlorinated, real. She broke the surface quickly, slicking wet hair back from her face as she got her bearings. The pool stretched ahead of her, clear and manageable, its lane markers faintly visible beneath the rippling surface. Swimming had never been her greatest strength, but she was competent enough to get from one side to the other without panic.[/color]

[color=#808080]She pushed off, her arms carving through the water with workmanlike strokes. The rhythm itself was a relief. Pull, kick, breathe. Again. Again. Her muscles protested all the while, her shoulders still smouldered from the rope climb, but the water’s resistance felt honest and straightforward. There were no tricks here, no unstable beams. Just pure, effortful motion.[/color]

[color=#808080]When her fingertips brushed the far edge, relief washed over her, sharp and sudden. Anissa hauled herself out, water streaming from her limbs, her shoes releasing a soft, damp sound as she moved from horizontal to vertical. She didn’t pause to catch her breath or shake the water from her hands. Instead, she turned immediately toward the second-to-last obstacle: the log ladder.[/color]

[color=#808080]Up close, the structure was daunting—thirty-five feet of vertical timber and rope, with rungs spaced just far enough apart to make her arms ache in anticipation. Anissa tilted her head back as she had at the rope climb, tracing the ladder’s rise until it met the platform above. Eleven rungs up. Eleven back down. Simple arithmetic, and what promised to be a brutal test of endurance.[/color]

[color=#808080]She approached it anyway. What other choice did she have? Surely not throwing in the towel at this point. [/color]

[color=#808080]Her fingers closed around the first rung, tightening as she tested her weight. She pulled herself up, her feet finding the next foothold, then the next. Each ascent demanded more from her arms; her shoulders protested with increasing volume. By the fifth rung, her breathing turned ragged. By the seventh, her thighs trembled from bracing against the unyielding wood.[/color]

[color=#5a3e85][i]Don’t look down,[/i][/color][color=#808080] she told herself. [/color]

[color=#808080]So, of course, she did.[/color]

[color=#808080]Instant regret.[/color]

[color=#808080]The ground had fallen away, distant and small. Her stomach lurched in response. Anissa squeezed her eyes shut for a heartbeat, pressing her forehead against the sun-warmed wood as she forced herself to breathe through the vertigo. [/color][i][color=#5a3e85]You’re fine. One rung at a time.[/color][/i][color=#808080] She continued to climb.[/color]

[color=#808080]When her hands finally gripped the top rung, her arms were shaking in earnest. She hooked one elbow over the beam, then the other, hauling herself up with a grunt that held no grace. Getting over the top was an awkward scramble, but she made it, chest heaving as she swung a leg over and straddled the beam, pausing in an undignified crouch to gather herself for the descent.[/color]

[color=#808080]Somehow, climbing down felt worse. Her muscles were already spent, and gravity seemed less forgiving on the return. Anissa took it slowly, lowering herself rung by rung, her fingers burning as they clenched and released. By the last few rungs, her arms felt like water, but the ground was close enough now that fear began to loosen its grip.[/color]

[color=#808080]She dropped the final foot to the dirt with a soft thud, her knees bending automatically to absorb the impact. For a moment, she just stood there, hands hanging limp at her sides, lungs fighting for air as her body remembered how to exist on solid ground. Her forearms felt hollowed out and buzzing with static. Every muscle hummed with fatigue.[/color]

[color=#808080]But only one obstacle remained. [/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa lifted her head and immediately wished she hadn’t.[/color]

[color=#808080]The long jump stretched before her—eight feet of open air over a shallow trough of gleaming water. It didn’t look malicious, but eight feet was not nothing. Not when she stood barely five-four on her toes on a good day, her legs still trembling, her shoes damp, and her lungs scraping for each breath. She edged closer, peering down into the water as though it might offer some hidden advice. It did not. It was merely clear, shallow, and endlessly patient in that infuriating way only water can be.[/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa rolled her shoulders back, once and then again. She flexed her fingers, shaking out the lingering tension, and bounced lightly on the balls of her feet, testing whatever spring her legs had left. Not much, but maybe just enough. Others before her had made it, tired and worn as she felt now. If they could, so could she.[/color]

[color=#808080]She took several steps back, carving out a short run-up on the uneven dirt. After lining herself up, she drew a steadying breath and broke into a sprint. Her feet struck the ground in quick, determined strides. When she reached the edge, she pushed off hard—harder than she thought she had left—swinging her arms forward as she launched into open air.[/color]

[color=#808080]For one suspended moment, she was weightless, her mind filled with a single thought: this either works, or it doesn’t.[/color]

[color=#808080]She landed with a jarring impact, her feet slapping down cleanly on the far side. Just barely. Her heels skidded forward, toes splashing water up her calves as she windmilled her arms wildly to keep from tumbling forward. For a heart-stopping instant, it seemed she might still fall, and right at the finish line too. [/color]

[color=#808080]But she didn’t. [/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa stumbled one step, then another, before finally steadying herself fully upright. Water dripped from her shoes, but she was across. Past it. Done.[/color]

[color=#808080]A breathless, disbelieving laugh escaped her as she straightened and took the last few steps over the line. Her legs burned. Her lungs ached. Her whole body hummed with exhaustion, as if it might simply vibrate apart. But she’d cleared it.[/color]

[color=#808080]Once across the finish line, she slowed to a walk, letting her momentum bleed away in uneven waves. She bent forward, bracing her hands on her thighs as she fought to catch her breath, her chest rising and falling in ragged pulls. Sweat cooled on her skin; her shoes gave a soft, damp squelch with each step. Water still dripped lazily from the hem of her leggings.[/color]

[color=#808080]She straightened again, rolling her shoulders back despite the immediate protest of sore muscles. Now that there was nothing left to push toward, every part of her seemed to voice its complaint. Her arms felt wrung out and heavy. Her legs trembled faintly, not enough to buckle but enough to remind her of the effort she’d just spent.[/color]

[color=#808080]Still, Anissa smiled. A small, private, satisfied smile.[/color]

[color=#808080]When she lifted her gaze, she found River almost without looking. He stood close enough that she didn’t have to search, yet far enough that the distance between them felt intentional. He still held her phone, just as she’d left it with him, earbuds coiled neatly around it.[/color]

[color=#808080]She walked over, the sounds of the arena fading into a background hum. Her attention narrowed to the stretch of ground between them, to the weight of her fatigue, and to the quiet relief of having finished this monster of an assessment. [/color]

[color=#808080]Stopping in front of him, Anissa reached out, palm open.[/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“Hey,”[/color][color=#808080] she said, her voice slightly rough but warm, traces of adrenaline still clinging to her words. She nodded toward the phone, a silent [/color][color=#808080][i]thank you [/i][/color][color=#808080]woven into the gesture.

There was a small, almost imperceivable smile that tugged at one corner of River’s mouth, not from Anissa’s gaze or her approaching him, but silent unspoken pride that she not only finished the course in time, but was first in her group. He waited patiently for her to approach, not moving closer or further away, holding her phone gently cradled in his palm with a delicate reverence. [color=86a8ad]"Hey,"[/color] he replied quietly. A tinge of apprehension laced his words, unsure of where they stood and how to act. He waved his hand subtly, siphoning the moisture from her hair and clothes, then let the water fall, darkening the dirt around her. [color=86a8ad]"You did good,"[/color] he added, just above a whisper as he held out her phone for her, exactly as she left it, only warmer from his touch.[/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa stood there, breathing heavily, staring at the offered phone as if it contained an answer to a question she hadn’t known to ask. The residual warmth from River’s hands still lingered in the metal casing. She could almost trace the faint impressions left by his grip along the curve of the case. All the while, River's magic settled over her in soft waves, his power brushing over her skin like a lover's touch. The dampness clinging to her clothes evaporated, leaving only a soft, dry warmth in its place.[/color]

[color=#808080]Again…magic was so cool. [/color]

[color=#808080]Eventually, her fingers finally closed around her phone. She noticed, too, how carefully he’d held it: earbuds still neatly coiled, screen dark and undisturbed. That small, considerate detail softened her expression before she could guard against it. She drew the phone to her chest for a grounding moment, then slipped it back into her pocket.[/color]

[color=#808080]His quiet praise—[/color][i][color=#808080]You did good[/color][/i][color=#808080]—spoken like a secret meant only for her, landed with more force than she’d expected. Anissa swallowed, her throat tightening. She lifted her eyes to meet his and held his gaze a heartbeat longer than necessary. [/color][color=#5a3e85]“I almost didn’t,”[/color][color=#808080] she admitted under her breath. [/color][color=#5a3e85]“Some of it was...harder than it looked.” [/color][color=#808080]She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, muscles still trembling faintly from effort. [/color][color=#5a3e85]“But that means a lot. Coming from you.”[/color]

[color=#808080]She took a small step back, allowing space between them even as a crooked smile touched her lips. [/color][color=#5a3e85]“So… how bad was my time?” [/color][color=#808080]The question escaped before she could reconsider, and her stomach dropped almost instantly. [/color][color=#5a3e85]“Actually—” [/color][color=#808080]she cut in quickly, raising a hand in a halting gesture.[/color][color=#5a3e85] “Wait. No. Don’t tell me.”[/color]

[color=#808080]Pressing her lips together, she glanced over her shoulder toward the course. Tapeesa was just finishing, with Wes not far behind. A fleeting, uncharitable thought slipped in—wondering about nerves, old injuries, whether being first in her group even mattered—and it made her wince inwardly. [/color]

[color=#808080]She turned back to River, exhaling softly through her nose. [/color][color=#5a3e85]“If it was under the cutoff,”[/color][color=#808080] she amended, more carefully now,[color=#5a3e85] “you can just… say that. Vaguely. Very vaguely.”[/color]

River looked away for a second, making sure to record the proper time for the next two campers that followed behind Anissa, before turning his attention back to her. He chuckled at her nervousness. It helped him relax, in his own way, his posture becoming a little less rigid while his weight shifted to one leg. He waited and watched as she battled with herself trying to decide if she wanted an answer or ignorance, his smiling growing just a fraction as he lightly rapped his fingers on the back of the clipboard, amused. When she paused, his head cocked slightly as if testing if she was going to take it back again, but when she said nothing he replied with the same quiet calmness. [color=86a8ad]"I wouldn’t have said you did good if you failed."[/color][/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, the tension draining from her shoulders all at once like a severed line.[/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“Right,” [/color][color=#808080]she said, her eyes shuttering once, then opening again. Of course, he wouldn’t have offered praise if she’d failed to meet the standard. That much was obvious. Yet the way he’d said it had made it feel like more than a mere checkbox. He had seen her struggle, had watched her falter, and he’d still meant it.[/color]

[color=#808080]For a moment longer than was comfortable, she scanned his expression, looking for something she couldn’t quite define. Then she gave a single, firm nod, as if settling a matter within herself.[/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“Thanks,” [/color][color=#808080]she said, simply. [/color]

[color=#808080]A pause followed, and then, because she seemed committed to keeping things emotionally complicated, Anissa spoke again.[/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“Um, also.” [/color][color=#808080]She shifted her weight, her gaze darting to the side before returning to him.[/color][color=#5a3e85] “About what you said. Earlier. After training.”[/color]

[color=#808080]Her stomach fluttered, betraying her instantly.[/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“Yes,” [/color][color=#808080]she added quickly, the word escaping before she could catch it.[/color]

[color=#808080]Then she went perfectly still.[/color]

[color=#808080]Heat climbed the back of her neck. She lifted a hand in a small, corrective gesture, palm out as if to slow the conversation down. [/color][color=#5a3e85]“I mean, yes,” [/color][color=#808080]she repeated, softer now, [/color][color=#5a3e85]“but—” [/color][color=#808080]She drew a breath. [/color][color=#5a3e85]“Just to talk. About… what happened. You know. Last night. And the—”[/color][color=#808080] She made a vague, circular motion between them, then winced at her own clumsiness. [/color][color=#5a3e85]“Not the other… stuff. Necessarily. Unless that’s part of the conversation. Which—maybe it is? I don’t know. Is it?”[/color]

[color=#808080]She pressed her lips together, visibly reining herself in.[/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“What I’m [/color][i][color=#5a3e85]trying[/color][/i][color=#5a3e85] to say,” [/color][color=#808080]Anissa finished, cheeks warm, eyes earnest,[/color][color=#5a3e85] “is that I’d like to. Talk. With you. After training. Like adults. Who can use words?” [/color][color=#808080]She let out a shaky little breath. [color=#5a3e85]“Yes.”[/color]

When Anissa first answered ‘yes,’ River’s mind started running… Yes what? Yes to trying to seduce him? Yes to the striptease? Yes to the dancing?... [i]Yes what?[/i] Some of his earlier composure quickly started slipping away as his wheels spun in overdrive. His facial expression made his confusion [i]very[/i] apparent between the shift in his smile, the furrowing of his brows, and the way his eyes searched the sky like the answer lived somewhere beyond the clouds. She must have caught wind of his growing turmoil because she held out a hand as if to tell his brain to calm the fuck down… Which, that was fair. His imagination was definitely running away from him in a montage of not unwanted images, but definitely shit he did [i]not[/i] need to be thinking about. 

[i]Just to talk.[/i] Right. Ok. That made more sense. He nodded his head in understanding, even if there was a twinge just behind his ribs in… Not necessarily disappointment, but he’d be lying if he said the thought of kissing her again hadn’t crossed his mind at least a dozen times since he woke up. 

River had just managed to get a hold of his thoughts when she mentioned [i]other stuff[/i]... What other stuff? There was other stuff? He searched her face for some sort of clue or understanding like he had completely lost the plot or somehow words meant something different to women. He had heard they could find extra meaning in things… But… [i]Huh?[/i] His free hand reached up to scratch the back of his head, running through the events of the night in search of whatever this [i]‘other stuff’[/i] was. Talking, the nipple drink [i]thing,[/i] kissing, [i]barfing[/i], more kissing, almost sex… but [i]almost.[/i] They stopped. [i]He[/i] stopped.

He coughed, choking on the words that didn’t come out. There was a part of him that bubbled and churned in his gut, preparing to explode into a nervous ramble, but he couldn’t… Not here, not now. River nodded his head again, finding that to be the safer answer as he unknotted his thoughts into a cohesive sentence. [color=86a8ad]"Yeah. Sure. Of course. [i]Talking.[/i]"[/color] He nodded a third time. [color=86a8ad]"Yep."[/color]—Ok, so maybe more of a semi-coherent train of words rather than a sentence.[/color]

[color=#808080]Anissa registered it all at once—the clipboard in his hand, the other campers still waiting their turn, the realization that she had thoroughly disrupted his focus in the middle of his duties. Again. [/color][color=#808080][i]Oops.[/i][/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“Oh,” [/color][color=#808080]she said quickly, nodding a little too fast, as if the motion alone could erase the last thirty seconds. [/color][color=#5a3e85]“Okay. Cool. Talking. Yeah. That works.”[/color]

[color=#808080]She flashed a small, decisive thumbs-up—[/color][i][color=#5a3e85]why did I just fucking do that?[/color][/i][color=#808080]—and immediately dropped her hand as though it had committed a betrayal.[/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“Great. I’ll—yeah. So, I’ll go… do that.” [/color][color=#808080]She gestured vaguely over his shoulder, then to the side, then abandoned the effort entirely. [/color][color=#5a3e85]“Later.”[/color]

[color=#808080]Before she could embarrass herself further, Anissa pivoted on her heel and made a direct line toward the pool. She scooped up her discarded sweatshirt in one fluid motion—her group had all finished their runs by now—and didn’t slow until she reached Blair. She sank beside her friend with a soft exhale, stretching her legs out and leaning back on her hands, gazing up at the open arena sky as if it might grant her some kind of pardon. Her heart continued to drum in her chest, her muscles hummed with residual adrenaline, and her mind replayed the entire exchange on an unforgiving loop.[/color]

[color=#808080]After a moment, she glanced sideways at Blair.[/color]

[color=#5a3e85]“…I passed,” [/color][color=#808080]she said, as though those two words explained everything.[/color][/indent][/indent][/indent]
[hr][sub][color=9b9b9b][b][i]Location: Arena 
Interactions: Tapeesa, Blair
Mentions: Wes, Ariana, Evelyn 
Mini collabs: River [@Mjolnir][/i][/b][/color][/sub]
[right][sup][color=#5a3e85][b]#5a3e85[/b][/color][color=2e2c2c]...[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]...[/color][url=https://i.postimg.cc/7P1f3XK9/image.jpg][color=9b9b9b][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url][/sup][/right]