• 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 | 𝘺𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘢

𝟑. 𝗬𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗮. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 ?

Hushed comments were passed around as soon as the meeting was over, accompanied by quick glances made towards the guards who remained by the blonde man's side.

You now knew his name was Zeke, and was currently the head of the vast group of volunteers that were currently occupying the worn down building. He was bidding his farewells to Mrs. Henzler, so you weren't able to get a fixed look on him before he exited the room.

His departure seemed to have been notified to others outside, as a slender, younger looking boy appeared at the door, clearing his throat quietly before speaking up.

"We are waiting for you down in the courtyard, where we wish to get familiarised with all of you. Please do come down whenever you are ready"

It was clear that he was nervous, speaking in front of a group of complete strangers. The small coos from some of your comrades were far from discrete, and you wondered which of them would make the first move to follow the younger boy out.

You all took your leave simultaneously, just as you had all entered the room just instances ago, followed by the three volunteers who had remained dead silent since Zeke had departed. One thing you had realised about them was the fact that the tallest among them was the woman, which took you by surprise. Though you didn't pass her by closely, her towering, slim figure was hard to miss when stood beside the other two men.

Even with heels on, the tallest woman in your group was still a half a head shorter than her.

At last, you all made it outside, where the other volunteers had all gathered. It wasn't long before conversations sparked between the strangers, eager to know about each other as they had never encountered before. Some were more timid than others, but knowing that you would all be working together for the next few weeks was a perfect push to get even the shyest to speak up.

Beside you stood Viktoria, whom you had realised had her eyes set on the dark toned man ever since the meeting, occasionally turning away to avoid coming off as suspicious.

"Hey, don't be forgetting about Theo, now"

You leaned down slightly, nearing her ear as you quietly spoke out the words to your friend, causing her to stiffen up slightly. She whipped her head around towards you, almost looking offended by what you had just said.

"N-No! That's not what's going on here, I swear!"

"Are you sure about that?"

Turning back to her initial stance, she looked over once again to the man, who was now chatting with some unfamiliar men, a smile on his face as he did. You had to admit, he wasn't bad looking. Not at all. But perhaps not fully your type.

"I just...He's nice to look at"

"That's a mental note I'll be sure to deliver once we get back"

You knew well that her intentions were anything but harmful towards her partner. It was completely okay to admire someone's appearance from time to time. A meaningless crush, that was all it was.

"Come on, we should go and talk to them. We're stood her looking a little lonely, don't you think?"

Without a second of hesitation, Viktoria nodded at you, following your step as you neared the group of men. Who knows, maybe one of them would become your future partner? Doubtful, but still possible, you thought.

"Good day. If I'm not mistaken, you were in the meeting just now, correct?"

After all these years, you were never able to fully shake off the change in tone whenever you spoke to a stranger, and worst yet, a man. It was a habit you had picked up when you started working at the tavern. It was a way to avoid being oneself when faced with drunk customers, so as to not be tempted to start a fight with them.