to: open to anyone!
Apollo paced the corridor outside the grand hall, restless, frustrated, his mind still stuck on the scream. The sound of it. The way it had cut through the night like a blade. And his visions? Useless. Fragments, impressions, nothing solid enough to hold onto. He had seen something before the scream, but he couldn't make sense of it. Snow, blood, a face he couldn't quite remember. It was like trying to catch smoke with his bare hands. He felt a presence behind him. He didn't turn, just took a breath, slow and deliberate.
"Don't tell me to be patient. I've heard it a dozen times tonight. From the guards. From the courtiers. From my family. As if sitting around doing nothing is going to solve anything." He ran a hand through golden locks, pacing again. "I've fought in wars. I've watched men die. I've never felt as useless as I do right now." He finally turned to face the person behind him, and stopped. It wasn't who he thought it was. He stared at them for a moment, jaw tight, then looked away.
"Forget it." His voice was quieter now. "Forget I said anything."
her heart beat deeper and deeper in her chest, willing some form of words, structure, or even power to burst out of her. see the problem was that carolina always had a plan. every ounce of her was strategically planned down to the last detail. what she wasn't prepared for was any of this. she couldn't control the voice that echoed above or the fact that they were trapped in a court that wasn't hers. putting her hands up in defense, she looked at the other, not recognizing him from anywhere. "you are not the only one, believe me. i pride myself on having a plan for everything and knowing exactly what's going to happen next, and now... it's like prythian is trying to hurt me."
she leaned a little closer. "look, i may not know you, or recognize you, or if i'm supposed to i'm sorry, but we can't let this tear us apart, not right now. something or someone is trying to scare us, pit us together. what we need is evidence, clues, and some semblance of a plan."


















