Overwhelmed

Adora made her way down to the lake. She slowed herself to "breathe" in the last few days of the sun as she walked up to the shore, nearly tripping over a rock she hadn't even seen. The view was gorgeous. The sky from the lake appeared as magnificent shades of fiery reds, sharp oranges, and bubble-gum pinks that tinted Adora's dark skin and warmed her face. She turned when she heard the familiar sound of grass underneath shoes. Atlas was making his way over, already apologizing for the wait. "It's fine, I haven't been here long. Did you trip on that rock too?" She asked, curious. Slowly, Adora lowered herself to the ground, sitting with her knees bent, shoes mere inches from the water. She gently parted the spot next to her, beckoning Atlas over towards her. "And, yeah, I definitely still want to talk, you can count on that." She stated. Even if she did.feel a bit better thanks to the walk down, and getting to lol out at the sunset and just... be, she wasn't all right and cheery just yet. Her mother was still on her mind. She still felt a pang of disappointment in herself because of her struggle to focus in class. There was a cool breeze in the air, and Adora shivered as the small gust hit her skin.

Atlas takes off his hoodie and hands it to Adora after seeing her shiver. Underneath his hoodie, he is wearing a black shirt that says "apparently I like dogs" with a husky silhouette underneath the writing. Atlas squats next to Adora. Atlas looks into Adora's eyes and feels the worry for Adora as he focuses more on her and feels her emotions growing more erratic, like they're ready to explode, the feeling is like a brick wall crashing over him. His eyes widen in surprise at the intensity of the emotions. "holy crap! I've never felt someone feeling this intensely before and......it's gotten stronger since we talked in the common room. Why? What could be this bad? Now I'm worried about her. I'm still puzzled by her, but now I'm also worried. Atlas, shut up! Now is not the time to zone out! Focus on what she's going to say." Atlas blinks a couple of times to snap out of his thoughts, still staring into Adora's eyes. Atlas's eyes drag over Adora's body to look for any sign of physical injury or a physical sign of her emotions as Adora is putting on Atlas's hoodie. Atlas sits down on the rocky shore, staring out at the peaceful water. He finally breaks the silence and says.

"So......What's making you feel upset this intensely?"

Word Count: 224

Adora took Atlas' hoodie gratefully, slipping it over her head. The inside was plush and soft, and still warm from Atlas' body heat. It smelled of rain and pine. Adora found the aroma comforting. It reminded her of the woods behind her house, especially after a big rainstorm. The wet grass scent always found it's way into Adora's house, and it was a scent she had grown up with. She read the text on Atlas' shirt and suppressed a giggle. Ironic. Dogs are descendents of wolves. She thought to herself. Why was she making a joke? Adora never found her ability funny. Not with how dangerous it could be! She noticed Atlas seemed to stare off into the distance. He had a worried look on his face, one that made Adora think he'd seen something. She turned her eyes to look where his eyes were directed, only to see the cool mist coating the surface of the lake. "Are you... okay, Atlas?" Adora asked, re-pivoting her focus on Atlas again. He had seemed to come back into reality when she made eye contact. Adora found that the longer she spent with Atlas, the more she though he could trust him. It was an odd feeling, one Adora wasn't quite sure of. Atlas asked what was on her mind. "There's quite a bit that's wrong," Adora began. "My mom lost her job yesterday. I haven't been able to focus at all on my classes. I get these really bad nightmares sometimes, and they were just starting to go away but now they're back for whatever reason, and I just don't know how to deal with any of it. I've never... had to stress like this. I mean, my life isn't perfect, of course, but it was good enough that I've never been so unsettled like this." Adora hugged her knees close to her chest. I hope that made sense... She thought.

324 word count
@Atlas Caius Benedict

"Wow...."

Atlas's eyes soften, seeing Adora look so sad and vulnerable. Something stirs in him, making him feel protective of her. "I wish I could just take all her pain away......but how? I barely know her," Atlas thought to himself.

"I get it.....I mean, I-I haven't actually been in your situation, but I.......I can understand how you feel....."

Atlas cringed internally. "God damn you Atlas, you're supposed to make her feel comforted and less stressed, not sound like a total idiot!!" Atlas thinks to himself as his hand moves to fidget with a sleeve that's not there because he's so used to wearing hoodies, but he gave his hoodie to Adora. "Right, the hoodie.....Atlas, get over yourself and stop acting like you're an imbecile"

"I.....I uh I'm always afraid of messing up.....that people won't like me......so I prefer to hang around with the shelter animals because I'm so awkward with people.....mostly the dogs.....because they don't have the heart to leave you or.....or reject you...."

Atlas admits quietly. He's never been vulnerable with anyone, let alone even share his feelings on a regular basis, but he can't shake the sense of comfort whenever he's close to her. It seems to Atlas that the more time they spend together, the more he can trust her and the more he feels like he needs (and wants) to protect Adora.

"......what are your nightmares about...?"

Atlas asks quietly, knowing this is usually a sensitive and personal topic for most people.

Word Count: 256

@Adora Fletching

Adora nodded along as Atlas spoke. He seemed lonely, and Adora made it her mission to change that. Atlas said that he hung out with dogs a lot, because they won't leave you. He had a point, dogs were some of the most loyal creatures on the planet. Adora wondered how Atlas had gotten to be so lonely... he was so afraid of messing up even though he seemed like such a sweet person. "If it helps... you didn't mess up when you chose this spot. It's peaceful." Adora noticed Atlas' hand, moving to fidget with something that wasn't there. Maybe a sleeve? Adora couldn't tell. Atlas asked about her nightmares. Adora felt a chill go down her spine at the thought of them. They weren't as common as they used to be, but they had just started to go away and now she was waking up drenched in sweat again in a heartbeat. She didn't know if Atlas would be afraid of her if she told him she was a werewolf. Her mind told her to keep it to herself. But her gut told her to take the chance. Tell Atlas.
"Don't be scared..." Adora began. "But the nightmares are because I'm a werewolf. The dreams, most often, are me attacking people that I know, or care about, there was even one where I attacked myself. It's a whole story, I won't get into it unless you want to hear it." Adora felt a humongous weight lift off her shoulders with each word.

Atlas's eyes widen in surprise. "A werewolf!? I thought those were just myths....but then again, I guess anything is possible at this point, I mean, I'm a wizard, like an actual wizard."

"A werewolf......"

Atlas is quiet for a moment as he mulls it over in his head after getting over the initial shock. A hundred thoughts race through his mind, mostly questions but also concerns. "I wonder if it's like most stories where she shifts at the full moon, or it could be like Twilight, where she shifts at will or........." The excitement fades as he realises what this means for Adora. "She must feel so alone in all of this....I wish I could shield her from it, let her know she's not alone, but how? I'm terrible with people, but I can't do nothing!! Come on Atlas think...." Atlas's frustration grows as he tries to find something to say to comfort her. After a while, he breaks the silence.

".....you must feel so alone.....and those dreams....they sound worse......having to see yourself hurting people you love.....makes you afraid of yourself, that leads to distancing yourself from them, thinking you're trying to protect them, which ends up hurting both of you more emotionally, then you're left alone for real and-"

Atlas stops himself realising he just said all of that out loud. "Damn you Atlas why did you have to say that? Of all the things in the world, now she's probably feeling even worse than before!! You're supposed to make her feel comforted not like she's a monster! Ugh why do I always have to mess things up! This is why I can't make friends," Atlas thought, feeling guilty and lots of self loathing.

"I-I'm so sorry I shouldn't have.......I wasn't thinking......I didn't mean......"

Atlas rambles trying to find words that can fix this.

Word Count: 313

@Adora Fletching

She saw his eyes widen, and clenched her fist, already prepared for Atlas to say something about her being "dangerous" or "crazy". Adora watched Atlas as he processed Adora's big bad secret. He seemed to be thinking very intently, like an adult pretending to think about playing with a child before obviously saying yes. The silence was deafening, and thoughts rang about Adora's head trying to fill it. He must think you're nuts. He's considering your danger level, She thought. She had learned that people who didn't know her had a tendency to have an aversion to her moon-bathed side. But Atlas... He was pondering Adora's words. "Are you... Gonna say something? Anythi-" Adora was cut off by Atlas finally sharing his thoughts. He mentioned her loneliness, her fear, but the only thing he wasn't quote right about was Adora distancing herself from others. She never did that, she couldn't bring herself too. If she wanted to protect someone, she'd stand in front of them and do her best. If she was actively transforming, then she'd just run away to avoid physically harming anybody, or worse. " That was deep. " Adora blurted, not realizing her own words. She clapped a hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh at the absurdity of what she just said " I am so sorry, Atlas, I don't know what just happened! But, you've got most of it. I wouldn't purposefully distance myself from someone to protect them. It's just not in my nature. What I would do is stand in front of them and give it my all to make sure they're okay. " She said, running a hand down her calf.