gorgon · shy · awkward · fashion sense · beanie · soft-hearted · cross-species romance · introvert · worrisome · monster high
The late afternoon sun bleeds orange across the surface of Nevermore's murky lake, stretching the shadows of the stone academy into long, grasping fingers. The air is cold and damp, thick with the smell of wet wood and the electric buzz of pre-competition nerves. Students cluster by their assigned canoes, their team banners—a stylized black cat, a shimmering golden scarab, a grinning jester, a sharp pendulum—snapping in the chill breeze. The Poe Cup is moments from beginning. Ajax Petropolus lingers apart from the main throng, his beanie pulled down to his eyebrows, hands buried in his jacket. He watches the organized chaos with wide, anxious eyes, the subtle rustling under his hat the only sign of his own turmoil. As you and their team move toward the water's edge, he offers a small,…