Camp Half-Blood: Into the Storm - Closed!

[norvina!]

ᴅᴇʟɪʟᴀʜ + ᴅᴀʜʟɪᴀ ᴡᴇꜱᴛ
(seventeen;females;hypnos;nemesis)
(the quest group)(tags;jamie;cass-mira)

"I'll probably be less excited about all of this the second we leave." dahlia chuckled, knowing her anxiety was most likely the cause of the ease she felt at the moment. "calm before the storm right?" she spoke, before hearing quite a lot of voices outside. "I guess I spoke too soon." she shook her head, deciding against peaking outside to look at the chaos. she felt worried about facing her sister as well, although she didn't quite know where the girl ran off to dahlia didn't have the confidence to face her right now. 'she'll be fine, this will all be over soon and I'll come back and fix everything.' she thought to herself, reassuring the worries that were starting to come back into mind. "have you ever been on a quest before?" she asked, keeping her mind off of things.

delilah stood by and watched the fight break out, wincing as they went at each other. normally being the mediatior in these situations she felt uncomfortable being a bystander yet she felt too exhausted to intervene. looking over at mira, she felt worried for the girl as she ran off. wanting to go after the girl, she decided against it. 'I should give her a moment.' she noted to herself, watching as everything got cleared up. "thank you cass." delilah spoke, giving her a gentle smile before heading in mira's direction. trying to exude a calming demeanor she faced the girl with a rather awkward smile. "mira! funny seeing you here." she blurted, before shaking her head. "I mean, I was uh- looking for you." she squeaked, her face was feeling rather flushed after her embarrassing comment.

[WitchHazel]

|♡|Mirabelle Everhart|17|She/Her|Aphrodite|Head Counselor|Location: Outside Stables|Tags: Delilah|

Mirabelle felt her nerves start to calm as she stroked Firefly's velvety snout. In her silent reverie, she barely noticed Delilah's approach. It wasn't until the other girl spoke that she was made aware of her presence. Mirabelle would've jumped, but found herself strangely tranquil. What the -? It was an odd feeling. Comforting, but it almost felt like someone else's doing.
When she turned to face Delilah, she felt her heart rate increase once more. Her own flustered emotions pushing through the strange sense of calm. "Oh - um - hi," she managed. Her voice was notably a bit higher than usual, much to her chagrin.
Firefly snorted, flicking her ears back as if to say "seriously? That's the best you can do?"
Mirabelle shot the pegasus a look as if she knew what she was thinking before turning back to Delilah. "Right. Um - did you need something?" Her heart was in her throat now, the warmth of Delilah's presence mingling with her own anxiety and internal doubts. Get it together, Mira! It's just a conversation. Nothing scary about a conversation. "Sorry - not that I'm not happy to see you - I am, I am! Just - I -" Gods, this was embarrassing. Mirabelle was certain her face was bright red at this point, though she desperately hoped her makeup hid it. She wrapped a strand of hair around a gloved finger, worrying the inside of her cheek between her teeth. "Sorry - what I meant is - just - hi."
Wow, Mira. Just one little chat with Delilah and you're reduced to a stammering mess. There's no possible way she'll find that attractive. The sudden thought sent another rush of heat to her cheeks. Ugh, why am I trying so hard to impress her? Just calm down! Be casual! Mes dieux. She wanted to slap herself in the face. Instead, she forced a smile onto her lips, albeit a nervous one.

[norvina!]

ᴅᴇʟɪʟᴀʜ ᴡᴇꜱᴛ🌸 (seventeen;female;hypnos)
(the quest group)(tags;mira)

delilah felt an overwhelming sense of anxiety, pulling at the edges of her sweater as she looked at her feet. she couldn't help but smile at mira's nervousness, something she'd also grown to like about the girl. letting out a breath she looked up at the girl "I'm happy to see you as well, don't worry." she chuckled, hoping to make her feel at ease. "I- uh I should probably tell you something before you go." she inhaled, realizing she had been holding in a breath. 'well, here goes nothing I guess.' delilah held an awkward smile, her face was visibly red as her ears reddened as well. "we've known each other for awhile, and I uh, wow this is going to sound totally weird." she chuckled, shaking her head as she looked at her feet once more. "I like you alot mirabelle." she admitted, feeling a bit of relief as she let it out. "I-I can't help it, I can't help but be drawn to you." delilah spoke honestly, wringing her hands. "I couldn't let you go off without telling you how I feel, I'm sorry- I don't want to make you uncomfortable." she felt guilty for putting more onto mira's plate.

[sammy,]

( *:･ﾟ✦ ) xx❝xx𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 ！！ x─────ix ♔
x──────i ii zeus. iii eighteen. iiii tags: auggie, felix, valkeri.
ivi cabin seven.

the next few minutes were spent, for the most part, calming down. thankfully for orin, felix didn't seem to mind waiting, watching him silently as the seconds stacked on top of each other. his eyes were shut, his thoughts on anything but the throb in his torso, the noise of apollo campers flitting about. every so often, a set of footsteps stopped next to him, and the gentle "i've got him," indicated that felix was turning away the prying eyes. he just needed to get things in order in his head, stop the stressors piling on top of one another, because if he didn't - no.
no, he wouldn't think about that. that was exactly the opposite of the type of thing he wanted to be thinking about.

eventually, though, his breathing evened as much as it could, and he opened his eyes, nodded. at the little motion, felix launched into some form of action, pulling orin's jacket off from his shoulders, then his hoodie - with a lot of work and a few muttered curses - leaving him in a t-shirt that was emblazoned with a yellow smiley face and the words 'i'm ok'. how very fitting. felix made no comment, though a little huff of air suggested that the irony was not lost on him, and finally took a look at the damages. "you're going to need more nectar," he said simply.

when orin looked down, it did become rather clear why. a myriad of angry reds, darkening at the edges, explained the pain that had driven him to such irritability only a few minutes before. "looks like ketchup," he murmured halfheartedly.
"some of these are old," felix's fingers drifted over darker purples. "was that yesterday?" a short nod from orin, a shake of the head from felix. it was clear what he was thinking. he didn't need to say it. instead, he retrieved a cold compress from one of the malingering campers and pressed it against the offending skin.
"you were meant to get me out of the cold," he seethed against the pack.
"yeah, i know," felix's head turned toward the door, at something that he couldn't see, and instead of an apology, he pulled orin's shirt down over the pack.
"you are the worst," he muttered, trying not to writhe against the cold, shutting his eyes again.

and then another set of feet, which wouldn't have been enough to have him open his eyes in the too-bright room if not for the voice that accompanied them. "i think it's part of the rules of being the children of the sun god," felix replied to her. orin glanced up, trying a smile. it didn't look quite right, the cold twisting it more into a grimace. "does that mean maria didn't manage to get you to sort out your fracture, or am i being cynical?" he said it lightly, like he hadn't just read her health and spun it from there, and then stood. "ambrosia. have fun, you two. try not to -" he didn't finish his sentence, just sauntered away.

"my stomach is in the arctic circle right now," orin said in lieu of a direct response to her question. "what about you?" he had tried not to address the read, but it was difficult. "he does that. felix. awful for it. i think it's how he gets his kicks." it wouldn't have been right for him to dote. hypocritical, in fact. "should lie down, though. the mattresses feel like bricks, but there are perks to being horizontal that i can't quite explain."

( *:･ﾟ✦ ) xx❝xx 𝐥𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐳 ！！ x─────ix ♘
x──────i ii ares. iii eighteen. iiii tags: aiden.
ivi zeus' fist.

aiden was brave. leo would have to give him that. blind bravery was not the best kind, but it was still rather admirable at its core. he had, though, chosen the wrong time to be brave. perhaps if he had intercepted him a little earlier, caught him in his hazy walk toward the stables, then it wouldn't have been wasted. the blaze had died down, sated for the time being. as aiden spoke, gave his spiel about children of war gods and blood, leo took the time to breathe. from his stomach, through to ribs, his chest, and then up to his head. out again. a moment of calm.
"would you say it was always burning since the world's been turning?" he asked dully regarding the fire, spinning the dagger around, the tip of the blade on the palm of his hand. it danced, and if he put right pressure on it, then it would go straight through. nice, to have that control.

he didn't like to be patronised. nor did he like to be told that there were things that he didn't know, especially not from someone younger than him. especially not from someone who didn't quite grasp the intricate weavings of his brain, the structure that he adhered to. still, leo stood, allowing him his moment of authority, and flipped the dagger. it didn't fit well in his hand - he had never been a fan of the blade. celestial bronze knuckle dusters lay in the inside chest pocket of his heavy coat, itching, burning to be used. he did not retrieve them.

"right. okay, fine," he drawled. "let's go for that, then." without much more warning, without allowing himself to put thought into the action, the hand that held the dagger drew back, shot forward, let go of the hilt, and the blade soared into the trunk of a tree just above aiden's head. "you're going on a quest, and i don't believe in bringing a knife to a fistfight. if you're done being sanctimonious, i think the idea was that i go to chiron." he was bored. it was an incessant feeling, the dullness, but he supposed it had saved aiden's skin. worth something, then. "so, do you wanna explain this? are you on a suicide mission, or do you actually think that you're going to fix me by beating me in a duel? you're a strategist. there's gotta be a reason for it, right?" his hands went up, a half-hearted surrender. "take your shot if you want. i won't tattle, promise."

( *:･ﾟ✦ ) xx❝xx𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐦 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧 ！！ x─────ix ♙
x──────i ii eris proxy. iii thirty-seven. iiii tags: nicholas, vivienne.
ivi mt marcy.

nicholas made his demands. mentions of kin, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, and malcolm had to note just how void he was of those things. he had a mother-in-law, but he despised her. he had despised her before eris had dug her talons in - there was no chance he wanted to bring her along to the promised land, certainly not. it seemed strange that the horseman had more connection to the mortal world than the mortal himself, but perhaps that was what had drawn them all together.
odd, he hadn't thought about his family in a very long time. eris hadn't been out for such a long time, hadn't been focused on keeping the mental doors shut. he wasn't quite sure what the point of that was. he didn't think there was anything in there that endangered her, and if there was, he'd have no idea where to find the dots that would connect together.

his head nodded when at the mention of camp jupiter, though 'keep it up' didn't sound much of an order. nicholas had something to do. what was eris responsible for? keeping the chaos 'rollin''? it didn't make much sense. it didn't really have to. the vessel had completed their job, and then -
gone.

it was like malcolm was finally able to let go of a breath that he had been holding since their arrival. eris drifted back, allowing him agency of his own body again, and instantly, his eyes went to hicks, who looked nothing short of entranced. "daniel,"
the guard blinked, made eye contact with him, even managed a little smile. a forced dissociative state. whether that was the part of the vessel or his own instinct, it was rather impressive. back to khione, whose presence seemed a lot less - well, impressive in wake of the untempered creature.

"poetic," he commented, having to adjust his voice back to its normal tenor. "i'm not sure what we're meant to be doing. i feel like i've been given a blank briefing. a 'keep it up'. what does that mean? it's -" he let out a puff of air. it misted up in the cold. "the doors of death, then. i think i might have had one of their cd's back in the day."

[WitchHazel]

|♡|Mirabelle Everhart|17|She/Her|Aphrodite|Head Counselor|Location: Outside Stables|Tags: Delilah|

Mirabelle's heart stopped. The ground fell out beneath her feet, and her heart stopped. Is she - is she confessing - that she - she likes me!? If her face wasn't red before, it certainly was now. Likes me likes me!? As in a romantic sense!? She didn't need to use her amokinesis to know that it was true. Relief, affection, and utter panic flashed across her face in rapid succession. How could - how could she possibly feel that way about me? I'm - I'm - I'm a mess. I'm a mess, and she knows all the terrible things I've done. She was even part of one of them; my dad - Her breath caught in her throat. How could - how could she feel that way about me, after knowing that I'm - I'm a monster?
She quickly realised that she was just standing there like an idiot, mouth hanging open as she tried to think of something to say. Just say something; anything, dammit. She cast a quick glance around to make sure nobody was listening in before she finally forced her lips to start moving.
"I - I like you too." So, so much. More than you could possibly know. "I really like you. I do, I do. It’s just... I’m just..." A sigh escaped her. "I'm pretty messed up, Delilah. There are things... you - you know the things I've done... how -" she swallowed hard, blinking furiously to hold back the tears that had clouded her vision. "How could - how could you possibly feel that way about me, knowing everything I've done? I'm - I don't -" I'm not worth it. I don't deserve to be loved. The words died on her tongue, but her gaze said it all. She sniffled, bringing up a sleeve to wipe at her eyes before they overflowed. She was probably smudging her makeup a bit, but she didn't care. It was waterproof anyhow. It would survive. Her heart? She wasn't so sure about.

[indigo']

[✩] Augusta Reynolds|17|she/her|Hades|Head counsellor|outside|tags:Orin, Felix

Auggie swayed on her feet slightly, the few words that she’d spoken having required a lot more oxygen than was currently available to her. She managed a huff at Felix’s response, making a silent mental note to add Apollo to her list of gods to beat up. She met Orin’s gaze when he attempted a smile, giving him a halfhearted one in return, the action mostly overshadowed by a look of concern. At least the brunt of his injuries seemed not to be in his head. That was a good sign.

Then Felix was reading her injuries again, out loud this time, and bringing up the daughter of Apollo she’d just threatened and fled from, giving a name to the transgressor. “Maria was this close to getting a fracture of her own,” she muttered back, raising a hand with two fingers having almost no space between them in indication. The feeble attempt at a glare faded quickly as she realized what she’d basically confirmed with her own words, a brief moment of regret overtaking her, as though it were bad to admit something that was clearly already known.

She glared after his retreating form, eyes narrowed at the cut off statement before turning her gaze back to Orin, one eyebrow raised. His response wasn’t exactly an answer to what she’d asked, but she couldn’t say she blamed him for that. Nobody was entirely alright right now, it didn’t need to be acknowledged or said out loud. “I’d say I’m fine but for some strange reason nobody here seems to—“ Her voice cut off in a flinch, a sharp intake of breath. One hand went to her side as she blinked spots from her vision, all her focus set into keeping herself upright. “Believe that,” she finished through gritted teeth, continuing as though nothing had happened.

She let out a huff of unamused laughter, opening her mouth to respond when she was interrupted by yet another sharp jab of pain in her chest, drawing in a short breath that made her head spin. She sunk down onto the mattress beside him, too worried about passing out to fight for her dignity anymore. “There must be,” she muttered in response to the perks of being horizontal. “You seem to like doing it a lot.” It probably wasn’t the best time to be making a joke, not about that, but it was easier to make light of the situation than to give thought to the gravity of it. The second option never led to anything good.

A thought had crept into her mind, a question that she wasn’t sure she should ask. She looked over at him, icy gaze calculating. “You weren’t lying, right?” The words came out before she had a chance to stop herself, being betrayed by her own tongue. “You didn’t do anything to...provoke that?” Auggie almost cringed once the words had left her mouth, having heard the irritation in Orin’s voice when he dealt with Felix and not wanting to be that person to bring it up again. She wasn’t sure why she cared. It didn’t matter if he had or hadn’t. It didn’t matter why seeing him lying on the ground had sent her brain into a spiral of panic or why she’d felt such rage towards Leo for causing it. And it didn’t matter if he was telling the truth. That was irrelevant. But for some reason her mind kept circling back to the one fear she’d been trying to subdue since the events in the woods. The thing that she shouldn’t care about but for some reason still did.

[✿]Jamie Wallace|16|he/him|Iris|Stables|tags:quest group, Dahlia

“Oh, same.” Jamie laughed in agreement. “I’m not even excited to begin with and I already know it’s gonna get worse.” He nodded in response to the calm before the storm comment. He knew the apprehension he was feeling now was nothing compared to the absolute terror he’d face on the quest, but that didn’t make it any less uncomfortable. He raised his eyebrows at the sound of shouting, part of him wondering what was going on and another, much stronger part of him not wanting to know. He shook his head. “I don’t think it’s ever calm around here,” he said with a weak attempt at a smile.

He shook his head at the next question, grateful for the distraction from whatever was going on. “No, never really...I dunno, I’m not exactly the most cut out for things like this, ya know?” he chuckled, raising his eyebrows as he gestured to himself. “I’m only coming because of...you know the…” he hesitated for a moment, the words seeming strange to say, even in a camp full of demigods where it was snowing in the middle of June. “Prophetic dreams. Though I’m not sure anybody really wants me along. I think most of them think I’m gonna be more of a liability than anything.” His tone was light, a smile still on his face despite his words, but that didn’t take away from the truth of them. He believed what he was saying. “What about you? Been on a quest before?”

[*Lovel*]

『❄❅』 Aydan Hunt『❅❄』

Son of Khione ☃ Cabin 22 ☃ 16 ☃ Heterosexual

≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎

Tags: Ophelia
Location: Arena

Aydan smiled to himself when she hugged him back, he listened closely to her breaths and followed the rhythm of them as steadily as possible. His tears slowly stopped along with the blizzard he had made. He noticed she didn't say anything about his confession, if one was to actually call it that, he tried not to think about the silence following it for too long. Maybe she didn't hear him, maybe that was for the best anyway. Who'd want someone who was so... broken? She could absolutely do better than him, he shook his head softly as an attempt to get rid of the demeaning thoughts.

He nodded as she agreed to stay like they were and talk. "I would always wonder why I'd have to stay at my grandma's for days on end. I guess I know why now. He didn't bother telling either of us you know, they probably know nothing about me. Why would he keep it a secret?" he asked. He knew she probably wouldn't have some miracle answers for him but his mind was going a mile a minute trying to think everything out.

He pulled his head off her shoulder and looked into her hazel eyes for a moment. "I'm going to give you a kiss on the forehead as a thank you." he said quietly. He placed a small and gentle kiss on her forehead like he had said. "Thank you for listening, I'm sorry about dumping all this on you." he said looking away from her with a blush. Was the forehead kiss too intense of a thank you? He didn't put much thought into it before he did it and now he was nervous about the outcome.

▶ ▷ ☁ ◁◀Emerson "Emmie" Grey ▶ ▷ ☁ ◁◀

Daughter of Zeus ☂ Cabin 1 ☂ 16 ☂ Heterosexual

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tags: Reese
Location: Cabin 1

He noticed her blush, shoot, she bit her lip as she listened to his answer nervously. He knew his favorites? Of course. She felt her heart skip a few beats, why didn't she bother to get into that sort of conversation with Caleb? She was too caught up in her spar to even think to ask. She grimaced at herself before returning her attention back to the boy next to her.

She peered into the ice cream carton and saw it was mostly gone. She frowned before returning her gray gaze toward Reese as he cleared his throat. "It's ok, you didn't end up hurting me. No harm no foul." she waved it off with a smile. "You've already been redeemed by helping me get that." She said pointing to the ice cream. She didn't need him worrying too much on her behalf, she had already forgiven him.

〖 ☾ 〗Ash Davis〖 ☾ 〗

Son of Hypnos ☼☽ Cabin 15 ☼☽ 17 ☼☽ Bisexual

☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆═━┈┈━═☆

Tags: Mira and Delilah
Location: Stables

Ash looked to the pegasus next to him "I think I'll call you Jellybean." he told the all black stallion. The winged horse huffed and stuck it's nose in the air as if it was saying "How ridiculous". Ash rolled his eyes "Shove off, don't be like that. It's a cute name." he said shooing the animals disgust away. "Wanna help me find my half sister?" he asked Jellybean. The animal shook it's head in a nodding motion that Ash took as a yes, he put a hand on the pegasi's side as they walked around the stables in search of Delilah.

Once he and Jellybean had found her, they noticed she was with Mira. Jellybean nudged Ash as if to say come on, they seemed to be having a serious and private conversation. He tucked himself and Jellybean off to the side out of sight hoping not to bother them. He listened for the right moment to interject and say his own fair share of goodbyes to Delilah.

[sammy,]

( *:･ﾟ✦ ) xx❝xx𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 ！！ x─────ix ♔
x──────i ii zeus. iii eighteen. iiii tags: auggie, felix.
ivi cabin seven.

the read, it appeared, was not an incorrect one - and orin had to take note of how much felix's powers appeared to have improved from the beginnings of their blood-bound bond. back in the day, it had been a strange look here and there, a comment that there was something 'off' about orin, questions about whether he was in the midst of a particularly bad headache. for him to now be diagnosing based off of what was, in essence, five minutes of exposure, was impressive. it was also frightening.
the other power, though, the one that hadn't come into play yet, was the one that really sent a tremor down orin's spine. not for its usage, but for the severe lack of it. the fact that felix was holding it back, keeping his cards close to his chest. he didn't know whether that was down to him trying to scare orin straight or the fact that he had seen something that silenced him. he didn't know which he'd be more annoyed at if it came down to the facts.

still, all of these thoughts were mostly trumped by another, a prevalent anger at the fact that leo had not only hit her, but hit her hard enough to fracture the bone. he wasn't one to hold a grudge, but he may have made an exception for that, because something in his head screamed for the son of ares' blood. he probably deserved it. he couldn't say that she did. he never would.

when auggie's breath caught and she flinched, his elbows launched him up a few inches, the concern momentarily overriding his rational brain. "augs," it hurt to move, but that was background noise in comparison to the worry. "are you -" it was a stupid question before it even left his mouth, so he shut himself up. "careful." was what he settled for instead, sinking back down.

"it's a different world when you're looking up at it," he said softly. "is this what it's like, being your height?" to joke at a time such as this - it was hardly uncharacteristic. perhaps the codeine was kicking in a little earlier than anticipated. it fit well as a retort to her own humour, and he doubted that either of them would be punching any shoulders in an annoyed fashion anytime soon.

the question didn't come as much of a surprise. he didn't blame her for it, didn't feel nearly as magnified when she was the one asking. it sounded more like an accusation when it came from felix's lips, and though he didn't see much of a point in poring over the events leading up to the fight, it seemed to be important to everybody else. "if i had come up with something that was witty and biting enough to send him into a blind rage, i would be bragging about it," he said softly. "he was looking for a fight, i think. i don't - i'm not angry about it. not with me. with you, it's different. you didn't deserve it." there were a lot of things that that implied, but figuring all of them out would require brain power that orin was all too happy to set aside.

felix returned with two mugs, straws in both, and offered them out to the two of them. "normally i charge extra for such excellent bedside manner, but i'll write it off if you just - just accept the godly medicine," he seemed exasperated, and it made orin smile a little. the son of apollo had certainly figured out one aspect that they shared - a blunt stubbornness when it came to their own wellbeing - and seemed displeased at the prospect. reluctantly, though, he did take one of the mugs, thankful for the addition of the straw. it meant not having to sit up for the drinking process. how very thoughtful of him.

[norvina!]

ᴅᴇʟɪʟᴀʜ ᴡᴇꜱᴛ🌸 (seventeen;female;hypnos)
(the quest group)(tags;mira)

her head shot up in surprise, shocked at her mutual feelings. "no, no that's not true mira." delilah spoke quickly, grabbing her hands gently. "none of that was your fault." she stated calmly, looking at the girl with gentle caring eyes. her heart ached as tears welled in mira's eyes. grabbing the girl she pulled her in for a tight hug, rubbing her back "you shouldn't blame yourself, you did the best thing you could." she reassured, pulling away and putting a gentle hand on her face. "you deserve to be loved, how could I not love you mirabelle." she smiled sweetly, pulling her in for another hug.

[WitchHazel]

|♡|Mirabelle Everhart|17|She/Her|Aphrodite|Head Counselor|Location: Outside Stables|Tags: Delilah|

For once in her life, Mirabelle didn't flinch away from the physical contact. She allowed herself to be held; to be comforted. And it felt heavenly. Still, she fought the tears that brimmed along her eyes, choking back a sob that tried to claw its way out of her chest. It had been so long - so long since she'd let herself to be loved and cared about.
All too soon, the embrace was over. But Delilah was cupping her face in her hand. A tear traced its way down her pale cheek, and she reached up to scrub at it with a sleeve.
"you deserve to be loved, how could I not love you mirabelle." She... she loves me. She loves me. The word sent shockwaves through her body. Delilah pulled her in for another hug, and she clung to her like a castaway to a piece of debris. "I... I love you too." Her voice barely above a whisper, "But... you need to know... I'm - I'm not exactly out yet. Of the closet, I mean. Um. If that... I don't know if that... complicates things." Her previous relationship had certainly been complicated by that fact, however. Juliet was out and proud, and she hadn't been ready yet. The thought of rehashing the exhausting fighting that had ensued there was enough to make Mirabelle want to curl up and hide from the world. But Delilah wasn't like that - she was kind, sweet, and caring, where Juliet was selfish and emotionally stunted. Hopefully she would understand. "I - I don't know if I'm ready... if I'll ever be. But I care about you. A lot. Please just - don't ever doubt that." Mirabelle sniffled, swiping a wrist under her nose. Despite the biting cold outside, her heart felt warm and full. Warmer and fuller than it had in a long while. She loves me. She held onto that affirmation; that one little thought lighting a hearth inside her.