Blowing off some steam... (PRIVATE: Anime)

Salone looked down at him, her dark brown eyes sad.
"It's okay," She leaned over and ran her fingers through the top of his hair. She stopped abruptly as if realizing what she was doing and with drew her hand. "or the record," Salone attempted to lighten the mood, she was failing miserably. "you were asking for it."
She looked away from him and itched a spot on her arm. "I... I don't hold grudges, at least I don't attempt to. Otherwise I would be a horrible person."
That she would be with her mother, Fabian's father, and the several other people who had hurt her. She waved at a person who she knew as they crossed the courtyard. They waved back and they continued on their way.
"I don't want to be a horrible person." From this angle she looked tired. She grabbed onto the branch and slipped off to sit in a much more comfortable position at the roots.

Salone watched him sit down, her eyes fixed on his leg as he did so. She knew something was up with him but she didn't press it.
"I would be going to hell way before you did," She leaned her head back against the tree trunk. "A way deeper part of it anyway. I killed the man on your lawn, wonderful present for your mother."
Salone shook her head, "Not to mention the... others... My past is very... dark. I am not proud of it."
She looked at Riley, giving him a sympathetic look. "It never gets better... I see their faces all the time in my dreams."
There was so much about herself she had never told Riley, those darkest secrets. She massaged her chest, right above her heart.
***
As soon as Danni and Alison rounded a corner and where out of sight. Danni came to a screeching halt and hauled Hound around the corner.
"How do you feel about eves dropping?" She asked Alison, arching a red eyebrow. Danni was going to eves drop because that was her job as Salone's best friend and she was curious. Danni was also a spy so that made her foot twitch.

Alison's face broke out into a grin, and she looked at the older girl. "How do I feel about eavesdropping? I feel... that it's a good idea," she said, smirking. She felt the slightest twinge of guilt, actually, but that wasn't going to stop her. She turned, waiting for Danni to take the lead. "I might have to run with you sometimes, I hear you work for the FBI?" she asked quietly as they doubled back towards Riley and Salone.

--

Riley watched Salone, thinking for a few moments. He reached out to grab her hand subconsciously, but he realized what he was doing too soon and brought his hand back to his side, fiddling with the hem of his t-shirt as he tended to do when he was nervous or worried or thinking, experiencing an excess of emotion. He wanted so badly to make things better, but they were both irreparably damaged. They could try to fix things, but he knew that nothing was going to become perfect again, and that it never was in the first place. He realized that this was about a lot more than just their relationship. He couldn't begin to imagine what Salone had been through, if he had nightmares from killing one person.

"I don't think my mom was concerned so much with the dead man on her lawn, at that point," Riley countered, trying to lighten the mood slightly. "But... I don't know. I feel like most of these people had death coming for them. After everything that man did to my mind and especially your health, didn't he deserve it? I try to think of it that way, but... it's hard. I need to just get over it. I wasn't even supposed to shoot him, but he started saying these things that made me so angry, things about my abilities and.. and you, and the world in general that I just pulled the trigger. And then I was so freaked out that I miscalculated my route out of the hospital, and the bombs weren't supposed to detonate for a while longer, but when they started detonating slightly ahead of schedule... I was done for. If it weren't for Ali, I wouldn't be alive. Of course I managed to get right in the way of one of the detonating bombs, and... boom. I don't remember much of anything, just being dragged out of the place and Alison's voice screaming at me to stay awake," Riley shuddered. He hadn't fully recounted the story to anyone since it'd happened, and it felt good to talk about it. He hadn't realized he'd wanted to until he did, and now that he told Salone he knew he had had to do so.

"I just remember waking up in some Italian hospital bed in so much pain and being so scared because I thought they'd gotten me again." He laughed slightly, a dark tone to his voice. "But it turned out that I'd only lost half of my leg... which would explain why I managed to fall over myself on even dirt and how I can't sit down properly without being incredibly awkward." He looked away from her again. "I'm just... I'm here, and I needed to be here for Alison and my mom and I have purpose in my life. I'm just glad that I can walk at all."

"Yeah, I do, Usually I am out in the field with all the dangerous stuff. But Salone had just gotten out of the hospital again and so I was a little late to the party." Danni grabbed Ali's arm and pulled her behind another building, "Hold on."
She whispered. "He just told her."
~~
True enough the three people saw Salone's face drain of color as she looked at Riley. Her eyes searching his face.
"Oh, Riley. I am so sorry."
She honestly wanted to fling her arms around his neck, hold him fast, and be grateful he was back. Instead she drew her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, tearing her gaze away from his face.
"I was back in the hospital three days after you left. Not The hospital but the big one in the middle of town. Danni and I we had gone out for ice cream down at that Cafe I like. I wasn't particularly hungry but Danni insisted going out would do me good." She paused mid story to glance at Riley, "I figured you aught to know since you told me what happened to you... Anyway, I don't know what happened. My heart just started hammering and I passed out. It was nothing like at your house..." Salone swallowed looking at her feet. "Next thing I know I am waking up... Danni is in tears..." Salone seemed to be having some difficult telling her story. "Nothing like being shocked back to life."
Salone's heart had stopped at the hospital because she had been so weak. It had only been for about fifteen seconds.
"I am so scared it is going to happen again."
She shook her head and buried her face in her hands. The one thing she was truly afraid of had come to the surface... death. The amount of irony was amazing. "They tried to get me to stop ageing. My body had a sort of allergic reaction, but its getting better. I should be back to normal in about a year."
She said finally collecting herself.

Alison remained deadly silent, trying to take in what they said.

--

Riley's guilt weighed down on him heavily, and he had to force the ominous pricks of tears from his eyes by blinking. He couldn't possibly have been responsible for Salone's death, but the fact that he'd just left her three days before it'd happened and he'd known that she was sick and had still dumped her like that to help absolve himself of a situation that wasn't urgent made him feel so incredibly guilty. He wished that he could have been there to help her, but he realized that it may have been better that she was with Danielle and not him... he would've been a mess, and she might have died and stayed dead in his hands. He wanted to hold her and make everything better, to forget about what had happened, but he didn't make a move to. It took him a couple of seconds to collect himself, but he gently wrapped an arm around Salone's shoulders, his fingers tracing her back ever so slightly as he watched her, incapable of making her pain go away. He felt silly for being so concerned when he'd lost half of his leg, but somehow he didn't care about that right now.

He studied her face before speaking, his voice soft but thick. "I think that, for whatever reason, we're both meant to be here, because even though you died and I was so close to it, the fates didn't take us. It's kind of scary to live in a world where we literally can't determine our own fates," he murmured, getting off topic. "I'm so sorry that I left you before all of that," he said quietly, looking at her and fighting to choke back his emotion. "I really should have thought it through more before I left, but I think that I had to go, even though I should have been there for you."

Riley wondered vaguely if the aging compound had anything to do with his abilities, but he couldn't ask, not after everything that'd happened already. He didn't know if he could handle the answer.

"But you're a fighter, and I don't think you're going to let some cockeyed scheme like that take you out. You might get sick again, but you'll pull through it, even if Danielle or I have to drag you through it. Just like I might fall over or get stuck battling a crazy jumping demon-spider hybrid with my fake leg. No one knows what the future will bring, but I just know that everything's going to go according to fate... no matter what that brings us."

Salone leaned into Riley, closing her eyes, feeling the sensation of his hand on her back. She allowed herself to relax against him, her head leaning on his shoulder.
"I said, I forgive you. The terms still apply even if your over creative mind still find reasons to make yourself guilty."
She opened her eyes and looked out at the rest of the courtyard. Several four year olds darted in between the cabins being herded by a satyr. Salone smiled slightly at the sight, there were few small children here at camp.
"It doesn't matter," She said finally, "I can't have you around for the rest of my life just to coddle me. Even if the idea does appeal to me some what..." Then a thought struck her and it was so completely off topic it surprised her, it probably came from watching the little kids.
"When you were little, did you turn into a big old man? Or did you stay little and sprout wrinkles?"
This was insanely off topic but now Salone was curious.
***
Danni sat quietly, leaning against the cabin... Well... this is boring, . She would have generally pulled out her gun and started cleaning it if this was a stake out. Which this was not and you couldn't have guns in camp.

"I know," Riley said softly, even though it didn't make him feel much less guilty. His voice was lighter than before, and they were both quiet for a while. He looked at Salone as the little kids ran, playing around in the courtyard, happy just to see her smile. Eventually she looked to him, speaking, and he had to stop himself from dying of laughter at her question. He blushed slightly, looking at her. "Okay. No. I stayed baby-sized. Oh gods, that must have been so traumatic for my mother..." he laughed lightly. "Anyway, I don't think you need much coddling. You're probably better at handling yourself than I'll ever be. I'm just saying that I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, and when I do there'll be a lot of notice beforehand. I can't, really, but that's not the point," Riley spoke, thinking for a second. He could go out into the "real world," but he didn't think it was a good idea, at least he got in a bit of training on his prosthetic. If he were to encounter a monster, he wasn't sure how well he'd do. He could just barely walk on ground that wasn't flat, how could he run and parry and jump? "So if you do get sick again, and I hope to the gods that you don't, I'll be here. Things will be different," he said, pausing.

It was a few moments before he spoke again. "Speaking of different, Alison has been teaching me some of her powers. Apparently she doesn't turn old against her will, and she can do so much that I can't, and maybe I can stop all of this. I've been able to fight my shifting recently, and I think with some more practice I'll be able to hold it off for a while."

--

Alison watched the two for a moment, but once she realized she couldn't make out a word they were saying, she sighed and leaned back against the cabin's exterior. "Well, so much for that," she said softly, not all that disappointed. Riley seemed happy, and even though Alison wasn't sure how she felt about Salone, she was glad for him. She hadn't really gotten the opportunity to know the young, carefree Riley that she saw in him occasionally. She just knew the broken boy who tried his hardest to be happy for her. She turned her attention to Danni, who she couldn't seem to figure out. She seemed bored, and the situation was kind of uncomfortable, so Alison spoke.

"Who's your god parent?" she asked curiously, scrutinizing her. She almost seemed like her parent could be a war god, but Alison may have been off.

Salone couldn't help bug giggle slightly at the expression that crossed Riley's face at her question. She covered her face with her splayed fingers and said, "That was an incredibly stupid questing."
She let her fingers slide down her face into her her lap. She sat up strait, no longer leaning against Riley and replaced her chin on her knees.
She considered Riley's words and she bit her lip before saying, "If you do manage to hold back your aging. What ever you do, DO NOT let Danni teach you how to surf. Bad idea. I think I still have bruises somewhere."
She itched the small of her back as if thinking about it made her itch. Her freshly cut bangs flopped into her face and she shook them away impatiently.
***
Danni stood and began to make her way towards Alison's and Riley's cabin.
"My mother is Persephone." She paused briefly. "I was just a little girl when the hospital came to power in the area I live in Italy. I am glad they are gone... but at what cost?"
Danni doubted the organization had been completely eliminated, but they had destroyed their best stronghold. If they were smart they would keep their head down.

Riley let her go, though he watched carefully as she listened to him. He wasn't quite sure what to make of her reaction to his statement, as she said nothing in response, just bit her lip and thought for a bit before reacting to his statement about his powers. He forced a laugh, smiling slightly as he looked away. "Good to know... though I don't think I'll ever be a surfer guy anyway. I don't think I'd like it much." Riley shrugged, looking back to Salone. She looked different to him somehow, and he hadn't really thought about it until now, and he wondered for a few seconds what she'd changed before he noticed her hair and had an aha! moment.

"You changed your hair," he said, reaching out and twirling a thin blonde strand of it around his finger before he could stop himself. He dropped it just as quickly as he'd touched it, watching as it fell right back into place. He realized that he'd changed his hair as well, but that hadn't been so much by choice as it had been because some of it had burned off. It was maybe halfway to the length it had been, and a bit thinner too. It'd been too long to start with, starting to fold over, so its length was perfect now. He just wished it'd be a normal thickness again, even though he shouldn't care. He was alive. He opened his mouth to say something else to Salone, and then he closed it again, stopping himself.

--

Alison processed what Danni had told her, surprised that the girl was telling her this. She followed her as she walked, assuming she was moving toward her new cabin. Persephone seemed like an odd god parent for her, but Alison could kind of see it.

She knew what costs Danielle was referring to, to some degree. She'd seen what the explosions had done to some of the soldiers, including Riley. She'd known that there was some people within the hospital who were innocent and could not be saved before the detonations. She knew there were people within its walls who'd been damaged beyond repair, or who were already dead because of the hospital's treatments. She'd seen to much and endured to much to think that everything could possibly be over.

"That hospital down in Florida, the one Riley and Salone went to when they first encountered the organization... are there still personnel there?" she asked. Danni would know who she was talking about. Her voice trembled with apprehension, and she had to swallow it down.

Salone felt a pale blush spread across her cheekbones, "Yeah, I lost my temper with it some time last week. I added the bangs on a whim."
She messed with the ends of her hair before dropping them over her shoulder.
He looked slightly like a fish when he opened and shut his mouth. "What?" She asked looking at him.
She sat up slightly, stretching out her legs, waiting for Riley to respond.
***
Danni listened to the young girl talk and she could hear the trembling fear in Alison's voice.
"They are dead, we took care of them."
They had taken a few in for questioning and discovered another hospital in Hong-Kong but Alison didn't need to know that yet. She smoothed down the back of Alison's head out of habit and then they reached her's and Riley's cabin.
Danni opened the door.

Great. Now that Riley was second-guessing what he'd been about to ask, Salone wanted to hear it. It'd been an impulsive thing, and he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to ask this question so soon. He leaned his head back against the bark of the tree, taking a breath. Salone would know in an instant if he lied, and so he exhaled and looked at her. "I was just- wondering where we stand. It was a dumb question, and I realized it just as I was going to say it. I just got back, and it doesn't matter right now. I'm sorry. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable, but since you asked I wasn't going to lie to you."

He held her gaze for a moment before breaking it, watching the horizon again.

--

Alison nodded, not saying a word as Danielle led her to what she presumed was her cabin. The girl reached out and touched her head, which was oddly comforting even though it was a bit weird. "Thanks," Alison said after a moment, stepping over the threshold into the cabin and waiting for Danni. She took in the living space, which was rather large, obviously shared by campers of various godly backgrounds. She wondered if she'd ever feel quite at home here, as she hadn't in her foster homes before she settled in with the Murphys. She realized that maybe she should call them and let them know that she was alright, but that could happen later.

Salone leaned back against the tree again, "I dunno."
She answered, she truly didn't know. "Were do you think we stand?"
She wanted to here his answer, her dark brown eyes studied his face. She wanted to know what he thought before she came up with her own answer, "Better yet, what do you want?"
Salone could always come up with a trickier question to ask. Besides she wanted to hear his thoughts.
***
Danni stood at the door while Alison walked in. Hound retrieved her bags and Danni carried them in. She had one flung casually over her shoulder and the other in her fingertips.
"Were should I put these?" She asked the young girl.

Salone threw the question right back at him, and Riley had to think for a bit before responding.

"I don't really know where we stand, which is why I am asking you," he said, laughing lightly. "But I do know that I still love you, but that I also want you to be happy, whatever that means. After everything I've done, I owe you the choice to decide where we stand. If you told me you didn't want to talk to me anymore, I would probably listen," he said, a faint tremulousness in his voice. He took a breath, looking at her.

"I'd love to be able to be friends, if anything. I don't think that after everything that happened between us that I'll do very well just leaving again. I was a mess afterwards," he admitted, color filling his cheeks.

"But if I'd been in your situation, I don't know what I would have done."

--

Alison took one of her bags out of Danielle's fingers, hoisting the light duffel over her shoulder. "Uh... can I just take any open bunk?" she asked, looking hesitantly around the room. There seemed to be slightly separate living spaces for each demigod, divided by gender. Each bunk had some privacy, but not much. She spotted one space in the corner, by the window, eyeing it. No personal possessions occupied the space, and she assumed it was open.

((totally making crap up about the cabins LOL))

Salone looked down and smiled softly before looking back up. She stood up and bent over, pressing a light kiss to Riley's forehead.
"Thank you," She took his hands and helped him to his feet. "Now lets go find your sister before she and Danni become to well acquainted."
Salone now felt much better after hearing what Riley had to say, her heart ached a little less. Her blonde hair fell slightly her face as she began to turn away.
**
Danni dumped the bags on the empty bunk Alison had been eyeing, the one next to the window.
"I believe so, Nice view." She said lightly. She glanced around to look at all the other bunks, a few pets dozed on their master's pillows. A boy with light blonde hair slightly flipped out passed her, going out the door. A martin sitting on his shoulder, jabbering in his ear.

"Anytime," Riley replied, smiling after she kissed his forehead. He wasn't really sure what to make of this all, but he figured that he'd let her be, to do what she'd like and figure things out for herself. He wasn't about to press anything. He adjusted his prosthetic beneath him and allowed her to help him up, and she did with little trouble. Afterwards he loosened his hand around hers, allowing her to let go. He watched her carefully as she turned away from him.

"Oh gods," he said lightly. "Those two in cahoots... probably not a good idea to let them become too close," he agreed, laughing. He walked with Salone toward the cabin, managing to make it up the stairs without too much trouble.

"It is nice," Alison agreed, looking out the window to see Riley and Salone coming up the stairs into the cabin. "Lovebirds alert," she said lightly, and Riley called to her from outside.

"You be quiet, Alice," he said, causing her to laugh.

"You're alright there, pirate Riley?" she asked him as he made his way inside, and he rolled his eyes at her. If anyone else had made that joke, it would have offended him, but he knew Alison had good intentions.

"Didn't I tell you to be quiet?" he asked lightly, and she shrugged, pulling things out of her bags and settling it. "But I'm fine, thanks for asking. I trust you didn't give Danielle any issues?"

"What am I, five? You're not my keeper," she argued, looking at him pointedly. "I've lived on my own for years, with only loose foster parents to watch over me. I'm good."

Salone flushed at what Alison had said, she hesitated slightly before going in. She spotted Jance crossing the courtyard. She waved at her cousin and he waved back continuing on his way.
Jance looked exhausted, he had some slight stubble and was wearing his reading glasses as if he had forgotten to take them off.
"You look exhausted," She told her cousin.
"Thanks," He said coming up the stairs. Salone walked in just in time to hear Ali's and Riley's ending conversation. Danni was chuckling as she flashed a smile at Jance, "Hey."
Jance took off his glasses, realizing he was still wearing them.
"Just popping in," He said lightly. He flashed Riley and his little sister a smile before existing.
"Dang girl," Danni said watching him leave through the window. "I feel bad for you that he is your cousin."
Salone sat on the edge of a bunk, rolling her eyes. "Just because your notoriously guy crazy doesn't mean I have to be."
Danni shrugged, neither confirming or denying the accusation. Salone rolled her eyes at Riley as if to say, Can you believe this girl?
Danni changed the subject, "Besides Riley cannot be a pirate because he gets beat in sword play by a girl and he cant steal anything."

((Just thinking about our earlier conversation and this happened...))

"Hey Jance," Riley greeted the boy, smiling before sitting down beside Salone, a few feet away from her. Alison had finished cleaning off the mattress and was setting out her stuff, making the bed meticulously... though she'd been temporarily distracted by the arrival of Salone's cousin. Wow, there seemed to be a lot of attractive people here at this camp. She laughed at Danni's statement.

"Seriously? That guy was... wow. He looked like he hopped right out of the pages of a clothing catalog," Alison said, mostly at Salone. Riley flushed slightly, though he loosened up as Salone looked at him and he shrugged. Danielle made a comment to supplement Alison's, and now he was starting to get defensive.

"Okay, first off, Salone cheated... not that I still could have beaten her anyway," he said, smiling slightly as he looked to her. "But second, I'm a damn good fighter and you know it, Danielle," he said, with some humor in his voice even though he was serious. He was a good fighter, or at least, he used to be. He didn't know how well he'd do now, with his leg. He frowned slightly, looking out the window. His mouth quirked up at what he saw. "Well, Ali, it looks like you're out of luck. Aphrodite boy's been captured hook, line and sinker."

--

It'd been a while, months, since Zahra had been in camp. She'd been taken by Anundar, her crazy ex-boyfriend, to some Norse land called Jotunheim, where she'd had to fight and face all sorts of mystical creatures to leave. She'd finally returned the night before, when she'd barely had time to fall asleep at home. She'd meant to go see Jance, who she'd corresponded with him during this time... until her phone's battery had died and she'd lost all contact with him. He'd been unable to help her, and she'd probably scared the crap out of him, and she felt guilty about it. She'd woken up late the next morning, around 11, at which point she'd dragged herself out of bed and showered and took care of some things before returning to her cabin. She felt so much fresher than before, using her own shampoo and conditioner, and her hair flipped gently over her shoulder. She'd had it cut before returning to camp, and now it was just above shoulder length. Easier to manage.

As she was walking back to her cabin; however, she spotted a familiar figure across the courtyard, leaving the minor gods cabin. Why would he be there, though? She disregarded that idea and snuck up behind him very carefully so as not to alert him to her presence, tackling him from behind and wrapping her arms around his neck, covering his eyes. "Guess who," she said teasingly, just barely concealing the giddiness in her voice.

Danni coughed and it sounded along the lines of, "Said the guy who has been arrested and punched in the face."
Salone bit her lip, suppressing laughter. "You got arrested? When?"
Somehow this reminded her of Winnie the Pooh pajamas, possibly something to do with the striped pajamas the people used to wear in jail. At Riley's next comment, she leaned over slightly to see what he was talking about.
She saw a girl sneaking up behind Jance and cover his eyes.
***
Jance spun around and literally swept his girlfriend off her feet. He had picked her up bridal style and he kissed her.
"Hey," Jace said, smiling. "I missed you, did you miss me?"
His eyes danced as the corners of his eyes crinkled with the smile. He set Zahra down gently, put his hands on her waist and gave her a long slow kiss, fitting for the length of her absence.

Zahra let out an involuntary peal of giggles as Jance scooped her up, kissing her. "Hey," she greeted, grinning at him. "I might have missed you, just a little bit," she replied to his question, leaning up into his kiss. Somehow, Zahra was 5'8", which was tall, but she still wasn't a match for Jance's height. She was the one to pull away after a while, resting her head against his shoulder. A couple of tears slipped from her eyes and she brushed them away impatiently, looking at him.

"Sorry," she murmured, offering him a watery chuckle. "But you have no idea how happy I am to be here right now."

Back inside the minor gods cabin, Riley pried his eyes away from the scene before him. He felt like he was invading Jance's privacy, and he felt uncomfortable watching the two kiss. Instead, he replied easily to Salone's question, his cheeks pink. He was notorious for blushing, and it hadn't gotten any better during his time in war.

"Oh, Danielle thought it was a good idea to leave me alone in a police questioning room with an unlocked door... and I took a walk, and somehow I wound up in the morgue, and some police officer found me... it wasn't good," he admitted, laughing. "Danielle punched me in the face after my having been concussed... fun stuff."

"Only you, Riley," Alison said lightly, chuckling, but her eyes were focused on the couple outside. She'd mostly finished making her bed, and her hands flitted about as she made sure there were no wrinkles in the sheets. It was a habit she had from her time in foster homes... her parents hadn't liked to see unmade, messy beds.

"Just a little bit?" Jance asked with a slight laugh. "Hey," He said gently wiping away an escape tear with his thumb. "Your hear and hammer head isn't. That is all that matters."
He wrapped his arms around her and cradled her to him. Running his hands over the back of her head. He pressed his cheek to the top of her head, just standing there for the moment.
***
Danni rolled her eyes, "I did tell you to stay put."
Salone laughed and noticed Riley's blush. She said in a low voice, "Good to see what hasn't changed."
While Danni agreed with Alison about Jace, it was a late agreement but she had obviously been dwelling upon it. Salone leaned her head against the poll, smiling a bit at the other two girls. Salone bit her lip and and cast a sideways glance at him.

Zahra shut her eyes and leaned into him gently, allowing him to keep her safe in his arms. She lifted her head after a moment, looking up at him. "Thank the gods he's not here right now," she said, her words almost a sigh close to his ear. "I'm sorry for what I put you through. I hope things have been alright," she said, watching him with a slight amount of concern in her gaze. She shouldn't have associated herself with Anundar in the first place, but she said nothing more about it. On a whim she reached up and traced her fingers against his cheek, which was pleasantly stubbly, as if he'd forgotten to shave that morning. It suited him, though she teased him anyway.

"Neglecting something, perhaps?" she asked lightly, changing the mood and suppressing laughter. "Or are you trying to grow a beard? I hope it's not the latter, because god knows I hate men with beards." She shuddered slightly, though she teased him, and wondered vaguely how in the name of Hades she had ever dated Anundar, if only for a few days.

--

"Stop," Riley said, close enough to nudge Salone, so he did. His fading cheeks had regained their pink shade, though, and he looked away for a second. Alison just shook her head, breaking her gaze away from the couple outside and returning to reality, turning to Danni since Riley seemed to be engaged in interacting with Salone.

"So, are all of the guys here so attractive, then? Because I can adjust to that," she asked, interested.

"Alison," Riley said reprovingly, but there was amusement in his face along with his seriousness. Apparently he wasn't so engaged.

"Just running around like mother hen as usual, dealing with Salone in and out of the hospital again. Oh, and my girlfriend vanished. Have you seen her?" Jace asked jokingly, showing he had no hard feelings. He trusted Zahra.
Jance chuckled and ran his hand along his jawline at her comment. "I must have forgotten." His brow crinkled. "So no to beards... how about a mustache?" He teased. "Besides, I can not grow a beard to save my life. I look like a tree with half of it's leaves blown off."
feeling rambunctious, swung her up over his shoulder. "Were to my prisoner?"
***

Salone chuckled slightly as Riley nudged her. "I forgot pink and Winnie the Pooh is a touchy subject."
She gave him a look she associated with the word shenanigans. She couldn't help but grin wider at Riley's defense of his little sister.
"Oh, leave her alone. " Danni said, leaning back against one of the beds. "Give her some time with me and she'll be able to knock any boy that displeases her flat on their back."
Salone rolled her eyes, "Obviously we can't have that. If you and Alison got to close, you two may hatch evil schemes and in some twist of fate Riley and myself would wind up as pets."
Danni snorted, "Oh please, be realistic. You and Riley would be minions not pets."
Apparently Danni and Salone were back at their banter.
"So to answer your question Alison," Danni said turning back to her. "There are loads more males that are very attractive."
Salone shook her head, tucking her feet underneath her.

"Oh no," Zahra said. "Definitely no mustache," she lowered her hand from his face, looking at him for a second before he grabbed her, swinging her over his shoulder. Her stomach jolted with a sense of panic, but she quelled it quickly. This was Jance. He wasn't going to hurt her. She didn't need to worry about defending herself. Still she squirmed, managing to wrap an arm around his torso. "Put me down!" she squealed, laughing wholeheartedly. "Where to? Where did you intend to take me?" she asked him, quirking an eyebrow even though he couldn't see her face.

--

"Winnie the Pooh?" Riley asked. "We weren't discussing Winnie the Pooh, last I checked," he said, looking at her questioningly. The look on Salone's face was hilarious, though, and one he remembered well. It brought him comfort and he shifted closer to her subconsciously. She began to banter with Danielle and Alison watched curiously.

"There are loads of attractive males here, or so you say," Riley contributed, looking to them. "And if any of them put their hands on you they'll be answering to me... or, rather, they'll answer to me and I'll redirect them to Salone. Right now I'm not too intimidating, in this state." Riley laughed lightly, but one could hear the slight frustration in his tone.

"Right, so now I'm a player," Alison retorted, laughing. "But I may have to take you up on your offer, Danni. I'm okay with fighting right now, but I could use a lot of help."

Jance tickled the back of her legs lightly with his other hand. His other arm was clamped firmly around her waist so the girl couldn't escape.
"Careful or you will crush my reading glasses," Jance said, starting to walk away. Zahra still dangling over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "I could dump you in the ocean," he responded lightly.
***
Salone chuckled slightly at his expression, "Just naming the topics you were touchy about that's all."
Danni agreed to help Alison with her fighting skills. As if sensing Riley's distress Salone, casually reached out her left hand and squeezed his hand briefly before letting go. Danni quizzed Alison on what she already knew on fighting and her levels of self defense.