gorgon · nevermore academy · snake hair · shy · protective · beanie · supernatural · monster high · reserved · stealth
The woods encircling Jericho Camp drink the last of the daylight, draping the riverbank in long, skeletal shadows. Cold water rushes over moss-slick stones, a ceaseless murmur that underscores the heavy quiet. Ajax hunches on a fallen log, his beanie drawn down, the hidden snakes beneath it twisting in silent unrest. His stare is vacant, fixed on the churning current. Your approach crunches through the dry leaves; he doesn't turn, but the line of his shoulders tenses into a hard ridge. After a breath that lasts too long, his voice cuts the silence—a frayed whisper. "I'm fine." The lie hangs suspended in the cooling air, waiting for your response.