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[color=ffc300][b]#ffc300[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/4ssW6vU][color=9b9b9b][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=9b9b9b][b] Arena[/b][/color]
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[color=808080]  [color=#f1724b] “If you're talking about Sylas, I honestly don't know. I just felt instantly drawn to him because of his enigmatic persona. Charming for sure, but unpredictable. I know now he's someone I don't want to underestimate, if his trial taught me anything.”[/color]

[i]Enigmatic, charming, unpredictable, [b]dangerous[/b][/i], as proven by his trial, she rehearsed. Evelyn couldn’t forget staring at the small mountain of bodies, the cruel horror of seeing her own among them, perched on top and how Eris merely nudged her aside to send her limp body tumbling and twisting to the ground. Though, she tried not to think about it.

[color=#f1724b]“Why do you ask? Have you got your eye on him?”[/color]

Evelyn’s eyes snapped back at Nelly quickly unable to hide her initial shock before they fled again. If the topic were anyone else she’d likely find herself answering with a bashful yes to test the daughter of Hermes ability to contain gossip and keep a secret. But because it was Sylas and he — they — were uncharted territory, [color=#ffc300]“Just trying to see what you see,”[/color] she explained.


Thankfully, that was the last of social dilemmas she jammed herself in until her poised but slow run. The objective unfortunately not to falter on any objects but make good time. There had been many accidents and some still performed better than her, while others laughed their errors off or grinned the fatigue away. Something she could never imagine doing but somewhere inside she was inspired to see.

Daniel approached her after his round in which he came last of the impressive group. Evelyn met his defeated smile with her own assuring one. At least she hoped that’s what she radiated. Particularly when he held similarities to a dejected pup. How could she be dismissive to that? Daniel forced himself to sit without any commentary but a hiss through his teeth.

She kept her eyes on him, studying his pain. He must’ve landed right on his coccyx bone. All the while he reached tenderly for her hand. Evelyn glanced down at their hands then up at him posing a silent question, but she didn’t draw away, feeling he needed the assurance in physical touch more than she wanted to know what he was doing.

Then he shifted. At first she watched curiously, letting Daniel carry her hand along as he liked before he settled to lie beside her, deciding he wanted her hand on his chest. The harsher part of her retracted her hand. But that didn’t happen. Instead, she was stilled, and her judgment hushed, finding something about the moment warm, sweet and vulnerable. The simple gesture of lying beside her implied a degree of trust. She pat him gently, fingers lifting and tapping his chest, soothing his overdriven nerves from the pain, slowing the panicked messages that alerted his body of his impact. A temporary illusion of a fix. [color=#ffc300]“You’ll still need to take care of it,”[/color] she cautioned gently.

A bottle was lifted towards her. Evelyn smiled, this time more humored and led his peace offering back down. [color=#ffc300]“I should be fine.”[/color]


Her eyes lifted to River as he addressed everyone again, thanking them for participating, their drive and determination to train and bluntly, that he’d move on. He mentioned he’d announce the results out loud and Evelyn wanted to melt into the ground and hide away. But before that, [color=#86a8ad] “I do want to make note that you all are at different skill levels and everyone—including myself—has room to grow. That being said, I will not tolerate anyone being an asshole and discouraging someone because of their performance.”[/color]

[color=#ffc300][i]Beautiful firm disclaimer.[/i][/color] Still, it couldn’t stop the silent judgements and feelings of shame. As names and times ascended, Evelyn equally held onto and feared where hers would fall. 

[color=#86a8ad] “15:57 : Evelyn Masters, Wesley Preston…”[/color]

She blew out her lips, at least 20 names coming before hers and replaced the hand soothing Daniel to run back along her secured hair. Evelyn gave a tight smile to the son of Aphrodite who she shared a time with, trying not to appear openly discouraged when she obviously wasn’t the only one with an unsatisfactory time.

[color=#86a8ad] “Anyone who finished in under fifteen minutes is excused for the rest of the day.”[/color] Evelyn invested in the other side of the coin, leaning forward like it helped her hear and learn news of those that didn’t faster. [color=#86a8ad] “For everyone that remains, you will run the course a second time.”[/color] The leader’s announcement, while suspected that she performed poorly, acted as a slap to her face. Her mouth fell agape, being handed the biggest insult. How humiliating having those results stated out loud and having to stay back to run the course they all struggled at [i]again.[/i] 


[color=#86a8ad] “You won’t be timed, so you can complete it at your leisure. It isn’t about speed, but practice, learning, and muscle memory. Powers are still prohibited, but you’re welcome to help each other.”[/color]

She should’ve taken some solace in that but the damage seemed irrevocable. Evelyn took the water Daniel offered her earlier, having a swig or two that she needed more than him and replaced it beside him harder than she meant. [color=#ffc300]“Excuse me.”[/color]


 Despite her disbelief and chagrin, she headed back down to face the course once more, almost in a trance state. 

Her eyes flickered constantly to River in wait for him to call it off. But he didn’t, leaving her and the others to run it again. Or at least try. Her muscles promptly ached in fatigue from the first round, managing the tires once more, missing a log and grappling it awkwardly to save herself from a fall, puffing away dirt on the crawl. She was lucky to get half way up the rope, no matter her self talk and persistence before slipping down. Evelyn paced around the obstacle she was stuck on, shaking off her raw hands. All the naive ingredients it took to persevere were running thin.

She jumped on it once more and tried to pull herself up with all her might. But failed again for the last attempt deemed a ‘move on’. 

Evelyn made it through the net bridge, the swing and the beams in one piece.

 Facing the pool again, she stopped, [i]really[/i] needing to gather her breath before she attempted to swim again. Unless somebody wanted to start fetching damsels. Evelyn closed her eyes, a new anxiety awakening near the pool with her sore and tired muscles and heavy breathing. [color=#ffc300][i]No one’s going to let you drown.[/i][/color] There were a number of people doing the course again that had their plus ones and River himself. She only had to blindly trust that they would help.


[color=#ffc300][i]1,2,3.[/i][/color] Evelyn sucked in a gasp of air and dived in. She broke surface and freestyled across the length, the need to keep form vital or she would flail and then start losing control and sinking. Then, it happened. She lost beat, her strokes faltered and she swallowed water. Her muscles struggled to keep her afloat with the other end nearby. She stretched for the edge and weakly paddled as her head dipped under. The second her fingertips made contact with something solid, she grabbed onto the ledge desperately, crossing her arms on the platform to keep her head safe but without strength to heave herself up.

[color=#ffc300]“River, please!”[/color] Her outcry managed to startle even herself. Briefly, she had caught herself wishing a seductress or manipulative person would enchant River and bring an end to this nonsense. The more she did, the worse she performed and she no longer knew what he was trying to accomplish. She was trying to be on his side. Disallow people to see his social inadequacies and therefore weakness so the vultures in camp wouldn’t get him but now she wasn’t sure. His training reached the point of ridicule. When lungs were burning for air and limbs felt like disconnected weight, there was no more pushing. The humiliation and fatigue had festered into an outburst and came out loud. Something she knew better than to do. 

Just as she knew he was doing his best too.


River leaned forward where he sat, elbows resting on bent knees as his attention was drawn toward the pool. Whether or not her cry for help was a genuine plea for assistance or frustration, he waved two fingers in her direction. A current of water like a guiding hand rose her up above the side of the pool and set her down on the edge with a gentle ease. [color=86a8ad]"Do you want help?"[/color] he asked, genuine in his offer with no mockery or judgement. 


She coughed and pinched her nose, embracing the embarrassing fact that she couldn’t even crawl her way out of the pool to retain some dignity. Evelyn shook her head to his offer. It wasn’t that she didn’t want help, it was that she couldn’t. Not now. Especially not after that.

[color=86a8ad]"It’s not a race. Cut yourself some slack and take a breather."[/color]

Taking her time wasn’t the issue. There had been plenty of that. But she had to sit there for a moment regardless, gather herself and catch her breath. She only had two more obstacles. Evelyn looked at the giant ladder that seemed to look even larger than the first time she had climbed the wooden structure. Dauntingly so.


There was a part of her that wanted to quit and leave that grew increasingly enticing. She was sure she could get away with it easily enough. But, even when she owed River nothing, there was a component of respect in following his authority and spitting on it by walking away. 


She began the climb for the second time, drenched and sapped of energy but as she was obligated to do. She fumbled the last few rungs on the way down, able to land on her feet, but that was it.

Evelyn turned to the supposed lucky last long jump. She looked around at those that had a support person coaxing them through the course and obstacles. But this was hardly the time to let her mind wonder. Teamwork and support was nice and lovely, but eventually everyone had to do things by themselves. On their own.

She locked on the target and ran at long jumped one more time, heels clipping the shallow water and stumbled out of her landing. 

At the conclusion, Evelyn let her knees buckle and let herself fall to a sit on the arena ground. Somewhere inside may have been the faintest hint of accomplishment but it was buried deep [i]deep[/i] under layers of heaviness and panting breath, and the relief of knowing she’d never deal with this course again. [/color]

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[color=808080][b]interactions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] Nelly (backpost), Daniel [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]mentions[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] Sylas, Wes, re-runners with support [color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]mini collabs[/b] [color=2e2c2c]....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c]....[/color] mjolnir (River)[/color]
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