[center][img] https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/5b91690063b6.jpg[/img][/center][hr][center][color=B300B3][b]#B300B3[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/be8aada3f828.webp][color=9b9b9b][b]training outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=9b9b9b][b]camp -> arena[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=86a8ad][b]#86A8AD[/b][/color] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [url=https://imgur.com/eVkcqfX][color=9b9b9b][b]outfit[/b][/color][/url] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [color=9b9b9b][b]arena[/b][/color][/center][hr]
As Veronica re-entered the arena, she could see that River was currently talking with another pair of newcomers to the camp, so she hesitated a little about approaching them. However, when she’d stepped out of the arena, the sudden drop in temperature reminded her that she’d left her jacket in the arena. So she gingerly went over to the bench that she’d been sitting on with Heath and Sofia, and pulled her jacket back on, rubbing her arms to get a little warmth back into them. After she turned round and spotted that the other two girls were already heading towards the arena exit, she made her way over to River. 

She reached him just in time to hear him grumbling into his hands in an exasperated tone, which caused her to giggle as she moved into his field of view. [color=86a8ad]"Fuck me,"[/color] Despite her dishevelled appearance, skin still glistening with sweat, and clear signs of exhaustion, the lopsided grin she gave River was breathtaking. 

[color=B300B3]”Dinner first, leader boy.”[/color] Her words were playful, and while she was teasing him a little because she’d enjoyed seeing him speechless, she was only half playing. Maybe less than half if she was being honest with herself. Though her disappointment at finding that Lochlan had already gone by the time she'd finished her pushups was certainly boosting her confidence, out of spite if nothing else, and it was more fear of how far she’d take things than a lack of experience that made her hesitant. 

River had barely bounced back from his previous conversation being bombarded with questions and judgements from both sides. His gaze was more fixed on the small ring of sand around his feet rather than the people running the course or finishing push ups in front of him. But then he saw it, movement out of the corner of his eyes, another presence demanding his attention. He drew in a deep breath, doing his best to fake a welcoming smile as he looked up. 

And he was faced with [i]her[/i]...  

[color=86a8ad]"Fuck me,"[/color] he muttered under his breath, too quiet for her to hear. River immediately forced his gaze to focus elsewhere… like a small puddle of sweat left behind by someone in the dirt. [i]Gross, unhygienic, and probably smelly.[/i] [color=86a8ad][i]Perfect.[/i][/color] 

But even with his attention elsewhere, her words still buzzed past the fog that clouded his mind when she was around. Her voice was cool silk on a hot day, beckoning him to give her… [i]everything.[/i] But he didn’t. He counted, ran through the obstacle course mentally, and replayed his kiss with Anissa… [i]anything.[/i] That was until the weight and meaning behind her words hit him, pulling him from his mental gymnastics and back to the present. [color=86a8ad]"I—[i]What?[/i]"[/color] He gave her a sidelong gaze, which he immediately broke and shifted toward… Nope, he’ll just close his eyes. It was safer that way. 

[color=B300B3]”You’re cute when you’re flustered, you know.”[/color] She said while an amused laugh burst from her lips as she tried not to lose her nerve. She knew how she must look as she rubbed her dirt-covered hands together, feeling uncomfortable in her skin, but knowing even at her lowest she could befuddle their leader was an unbelievable high.  

[color=B300B3]”I was saying, take me to dinner first, maybe a show before any of that?”[/color] She leant forward till she was a foot or two away from his face before reaching up and tapping him on the nose, [color=B300B3]”boop, why are your eyes closed, River?”[/color] There was a small, and growing part of her that thought she might be pushing a little too far and her nerve was starting to waver. [color=B300B3]”And um, have you ever seen a musical? Those are my kind of show.”[/color] 

River cleared his throat, muscles in his forearms and hands tensing as he laced his fingers together and squeezed until his knuckles went white. [color=86a8ad]"I guess that would make sense,"[/color] he responded. After all, there had to be [i]some[/i] reason Anissa liked being around him and it certainly wasn’t because he was charming. And then this Aphrodite girl… She obviously enjoyed making him flustered, which made it all worse. He held his ground through gritted teeth and his feet firmly in the sand, but it was like his mind, body and heart were at war. It was very inconvenient… and uncomfortable. 

His eyes reflexively snapped open when felt the light touch to his nose. His face scrunched, brows creased, and his entire body lurched backwards an inch or two when he noticed her closeness. River rubbed his nose aggressively like it could erase the memory of the brief touch, or mask the smell of her… whatever Aphrodite bullshit that was flooding his nostrils. [color=86a8ad]"[i]Because[/i] your allure is distracting,"[/color] he confessed honestly, a little [i]too[/i] honestly… even for him. He crossed his arms, like closing himself off would somehow strengthen the mental barrier he tried to lay brick by brick. 

Veronica’s mask slipped for a moment at his honesty, as her bravado began to ebb away slowly. 

[color=86a8ad]"In person? I—uh, no. My mom likes the movie Grease though."[/color] Why did he answer that? Why was he talking? He should stop talking. River grimaced and contemplated closing his eyes again, but worried about a second [i]boop[/i] or how she’d escalate to steal his attention a second time. 

She nodded as she acknowledged what he’d said about his mother, weighing up her response [color=B300B3]”Good choice, though not one of my favourites. At least you didn’t say Cats.”[/color] She beamed up at him, and laughing softly, more to herself really [color=B300B3]”It's a classic sure, but also a fever dream and the movie is best just left forgotten. I’ll have to think of a musical for us to watch together, what do you say?”[/color] The more she talked about her favourite subject, the less focused she was on the diminishing confidence in her flirting, but despite that, she still felt a little bit guilty at seeing the effect she was having on River, even as she enjoyed watching him squirm.  

Veronica took two steps back and shook her head, looking down at her feet sheepishly before speaking again. Her voice was quieter and a lot less honeyed. [color=B300B3]”I have that effect on everyone, very much a distraction. It's just so intoxicating knowing that my very existence can bring most people to their knees; it’s an addictive lure to know that people would do almost anything to bask in your glow.”[/color] She sighed and tilted her head up and to the side to look lopsidedly back at River again. 

[color=B300B3]”And, you know what else? You could fall in love with me or in [i]‘lust’[/i] with me and burn down everything else that matters to you as you try to gain my approval, but you’re in love with my powers, not with me. It’s not real. I can’t turn this off, not fully; it’s always there, digging its claws into your brain and rewriting it to be mine. I can’t risk falling for anyone because what they feel for me isn’t there, and it’ll fade once I’m out of their life. But, yet I'm the one who ends up with a broken heart.”[/color]  

Once she’d finished bemoaning her [i]‘gift’[/i] her body sagged and she just hugged herself tightly, feeling self-conscious at her own honesty before flicking one hand up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. [color=B300B3]”I only came over to check in after I finished my do-over, I didn’t mean to put this on you, sorry. And sorry if I made you uncomfortable. Just... sorry.”[/color] 

River’s brain stalled when she mentioned wanting to watch a musical together. His mind was very much made up… No. [i]Hell no.[/i] Because one, musicals were boring and that sounded like a terrible way to spend two hours, and two, this girl—[i]did she even say her name?[/i]—was flirting… or at least that’s what he thought she might be doing. And wasn’t Anissa. And while him and Anissa were… well, whatever they were. He definitely wasn’t dumb enough to humor spending time alone with another girl, especially not a daughter of Aphrodite. Now if [i]Anissa[/i] asked him to watch a musical—but she didn’t and she wasn’t here and this was his problem to sort out.  

[color=86a8ad]"I’m… not really a musical type person,"[/color] he replied while running his hands along his thighs.  

He exhaled deeply like he was finally able to breathe when she took a couple steps back. Then her voice shifted like he caught her red handed, kind of bashful and quiet. River’s face contorted a little confused, mostly uncomfortable as she started monologuing about the struggles of being her particular breed of demigod. He couldn’t really relate to her frustrations but it all just… kinda sounded like a lack of control of her powers or something. She should probably work on that. 

[color=86a8ad]"That’s uh… [i]rough[/i]."[/color] Ok, so… River wasn’t the best at consoling, especially when it was someone he had known for the better part of five minutes. He didn’t really know how to handle that information or what to say. [color=86a8ad]"I guess it’s good you’re here then. You know, to learn how to control your powers."[/color] Probably not really what she wanted to hear but… yeah, well he was trying. 

[color=86a8ad]"But uh… [i]yeah,[/i]"[/color] he continued while motioning toward the course generally. [color=86a8ad]"Good job with the push ups. You didn’t have to check in when you were done. But thanks."[/color] 

Veronica had gone through a range of conflicting emotions during their conversation, with her initial intrusion having meant to be a playful tease that she’d taken a little too far. But the boy had been cute and there was an appealing charm to watching him flustered, and at a loss for words.  

However, his dismissal of her honesty stung more than she’d be prepared to admit, even if he hadn’t meant it to. She couldn’t say what it was she’d actually expected from him, though perhaps not what she’d gotten. He was meant to be their leader after all. Though other than being in charge of them, what did her personal problems really matter so long as she completed whatever tasks he laid in front of them all? He was here to lead them not console or counsel them. 

With a sharp intake of breath, she felt herself go rigid as she processed his response, her eyes growing cold before she responded to his last sentence. [color=B300B3]”Thank you, I’ll try not to bother you next time when I inevitably fail due to a lack of control.”[/color] She knew how she sounded, she could practically taste the ice in her throat, and despite that she just felt guilty for taking out her hurt on River in the first place. 

She half attempted to try and infuse her next words with some joviality so as not to leave on a sour note without much success [color=B300B3]”It’s a shame about the musicals; you don’t know what you’re missing. See you tomorrow, River.”[/color]  

As soon as his name left her lips, she turned and strode purposefully away from their new leader, keeping her posture straight and unbowed even as she knew her self-doubt was eroding what sliver remained of her confidence. 

River had no clue how to respond to… well to any of that. He sort of just sat there, mouth agape with furrowed brows and a [i]very[/i] confused expression. To be fair, he knew he could be a bit dense sometimes, but what did she expect from him? She came up to him, flirted—[i]presumably[/i]—and then trauma dumped? Or whatever you’d call that. And then got all weird when his response wasn’t what she wanted. What was he supposed to do? Hug her? Tell her [i]‘I’m sure you’ll find love someday’[/i]? He didn’t know a thing about her and wasn’t the type to give empty sympathies.  

It all gave him whiplash, like just as he was getting a grip on the flirting and how to ignore it or skirt around it, then… [i]boom,[/i] here are my woes. River knew that being a leader meant discipline and people not liking him, but he didn’t sign up to be a therapist. Hell, he could barely keep his own shit straight, let alone give someone else advice or a shoulder to cry on. There was a part of him that felt like he should apologize… but for what?  

His face was still contorted, still [i]very much[/i] confused, but he raised a hand anyway and gave a weak wave to her retreating form.  

[color=86a8ad]"Yeah, alright… See ya?"[/color] 

Veronica refused to look back as she left the arena for a second time. didn’t want to show any more weakness in front of what she’d already decided was her least favourite son of Poseidon, though even as she thought it, she felt queasy. She’d liked Nick, but she hadn’t really known him, just as she barely knew River either, so it was hardly a fair comparison on the unfair burden she’d laid at his feet. And she felt sick at ranking him below, simply out of anger. Part of her growing frustration was that she knew she was being unreasonable, but she also refused to view their interaction rationally, as that knowledge only made her more annoyed. She was angry with River, even if he didn’t deserve it, but she was furious with herself. And, not for the first time, hating her mother for sending her here in the first place. 

As she made her way out into the chilled air beyond the arena, she stomped aimlessly through the snow as if taking out her anger on the powered piles would improve her mood. Her footsteps took her vaguely towards the armory and practice range, as she thought smashing something more substantial might work better. But even as she did so, muttering and berating herself for how she’d acted with River, her aching muscles twinged painfully as if to remind her what she’d spent her morning doing. 

The cold air was starting to bite the longer she meandered without any real direction in mind, looping in circles as she remained undecided on her destination. Her options were mostly rejoining her friends at Heath’s Cabin or going to the main hall for food, but at the moment, she didn’t want to be around others. Her own cabin, while tempting, wasn’t really a choice as it would take her near her friends, and Veronica didn’t want to see the hurt in their eyes if they saw her avoiding them. Her conversation with River had left her feeling like a petulant child, even though her struggles were genuine despite how it clearly looked and sounded to those on the outside. 

While perhaps an odd choice, she thought as she gently pushed open the door to the stable, it was one away from people for the moment, or so she hoped. She hadn’t been around that many animals growing up, since while others in her family had pets, she hadn’t been allowed any herself. Her cousins had taken classes on horse riding, of course, which she’d been forced to watch from the sidelines on more than one occasion, so while she had no experience riding them, she’d been around them enough to find their presence reassuring. 

After closing the door behind her, she wiped away the tears of frustration that sprinkled her cheeks, then leaned back against it, breathing a sigh of relief.

[hr][center][color=808080][b]Interactions[/b] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] River[color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]Mentions[/b] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color]Sofia, Heath, Anissa, Maylisse and Rosalia[color=2e2c2c]...............[/color] [b]Collabs[/b] [color=2e2c2c].....[/color]|[color=2e2c2c].....[/color] [@Mjolnir] [/color][/center][hr]