Attacked by an Ally

[Nina Eaton]

She flicked her wrist up and down, listening to the soft clicking that it made every time she did it. She hadn't fully recovered from the bomb that had dropped on Tondc a few weeks ago, but medical had cleared her nevertheless. Too much had happened for Nina not to be out in the field. The whole Mount Weather fiasco was enough to make her exhausted just thinking about it. She still couldn't believe everything that had happened in that one night. Their alliance with the Grounders had ended as quickly as it had formed. But Nina knew it wouldn't last. She thought that any alliance that began in bloodshed would only end in bloodshed. Lexa's betrayal had caused many to die and it could have been avoided had she stuck to their alliance. Bellamy and Clarke had figured things out in the end, even if it had ended with the death of every single person residing in Mount Weather. It was a horrible thing but it was the only way to save their people, and Nina didn't blame Clarke or Bellamy for that. She thought they made the right decision and knew that it was one that she would have made herself.

But she did blame Clarke for Tondc. Nina had been there, wanting to see how everyone was doing and even meet the Commander for herself. It was ironic how such a mundane thing had saved Nina in the end. She had left the village to go into the woods to relieve herself of her insanely full bladder. She had been walking back when the bomb had hit and she had flown backwards, hitting the ground with a thud and a crack. Landing on her wrist had been painful, but she had been so disoriented from the bomb that she hadn't really felt the pain until later. Nina had been thankful that it had been her left wrist, but it still put her at a disadvantage in terms of fighting. But Nina did what anyone else would have done; sucked it up so that she could do her job.

Three months had passed since Mount Weather but to Nina, it didn't feel like it. Life at Arkadia had continued to move on. Not many of their people had been lost but those that had been lost were mourned. Most people had rejoiced in reunions between family members, friends and even significant others. But Nina had noted the absence of their leader, Clarke. The girl had not returned with them and she had later learned that she had left, not wanting to see the faces of all the people she had saved. Nina thought it was a coward's way out, but she also didn't know what else Clarke had gone through since landing on Earth. But given the specific situation of eradicating everyone in Mount Weather, she still thought Clarke should have been strong enough to come back to stand with the people she had fought so hard to protect.

A group had left for Mount Weather but Nina had been commanded to take someone with her and try to catch up with them. Apparently they wanted more bodies there given that they weren't sure how it would go over with the Grounders. Nina didn't know how she felt about Abby opening the mountain as a medical center, but it wasn't really her job to think about that. Nina had been given the freedom to pick who she wanted to come with her and she thought of one of her favorite sparring partners, Harper. At first she had hesitated when she thought about asking Harper. The two had never really been friends but Nina had enjoyed teaching her how to fight (almost as much as the two appeared to enjoy watching Lincoln and Bellamy practice without shirts on). The girl appeared to listen to Nina, and for that she was forever grateful. But she didn't want to force Harper to return to Mount Weather when she had been the victim of such violence in that place. But she also wanted to offer her the chance to face her demons once more, this time while she was much stronger.

Nina found Harper and walked up to her, offering the girl a soft smile. "Hey Harper. I've got to grab someone and try to catch up with Bell's group on the way to Mount Weather. I was hoping you'd come with me?" She asked. "But if you'd rather not go, I understand," Nina added in a softer voice. It wasn't that Harper had anything to be embarrassed about, but Nina understood the necessity of not appearing weak to those around you. "But," she added again, her tone going up an octave. "You're also kind of my favorite." She grinned at the girl, hoping she would agree to join her.

@harpermcintyre

[Deleted]

This is my Fight Song --TAKE BACK MY LIFE SONG, PROVE I'M ALRIGHT SONG It had been months since the incident at Mount Weather. Harper felt like she had become a different person in that time. After having gone through the worst at the hands of the Mount Weather doctor and having managed to make it out alive, she had decided well and truly that something like it would never happen again. So, she began training. She trained with everyone she could, with Bellamy, with Lincoln, with Nina, with Miller, even with adults in the guard. Harper and the others had proved themselves to be anything but children by that stage and so she had been allowed to train and been allowed to eventually be in a position to join the guard. Although, it wouldn't have made too much of a difference if she hadn't been "allowed" to train. Nothing would have stopped her. She was not going to be caught out weak and helpless ever again. Still, she hadn't dared go anywhere near Mount Weather since they had escaped. There hadn't been much reason for her to even think about going there, let alone actually set foot outside the camp in that direction. It was a place that neither the grounders nor them would have access to and there was definitely a part of Harper that had been relieved at that agreement. She felt stronger, so much stronger. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? But she wasn't sure whether she was strong enough to face that particular demon quite yet. By that stage she had well avoided it. Harper hadn't been up to much that day, mainly walking around the settlement and watching that everything was fine. It was a better sort of day, in the way that she could just rest and could even have fun chatting with different people in Arkadia. That's what she had been doing, chatting with a mechanic before she had decided it was time to move on. She couldn't say she had been expecting to see Nina at all. The corners of her lips turned up into a smile as the other girl walked over to her. "Hey Nina," Harper greeted. She had grown familiar with Nina over the last three months, finding a friend in the guard who helped her to train. She was happy to see her, even if she found herself instantly unsettled by her question.  Knowing that she had to make a quick decision, she found herself even less sure about whether she was ready or not to go back to Mount Weather. There was a voice in her head that was telling her that she would just get hurt again, that she wasn't strong enough yet. Is three months training enough? On the hand hand, though, she could prove herself to be strong by going. The actual chances of something going too wrong had to be pretty low. A grounder at worst and she was sure that her and Nina could deal with one of them. She wasn't the type to think logically when making decisions but she decided that the logical option would be best. She was stronger, she wouldn't be alone. And, Nina had said that Harper was her favourite. "Sure, I'll come with you. Wouldn't want you to have to ask someone who isn't your favourite." Nina Eaton || I SHIP THEM SO MUCH NOW. HARP IS NINA'S FAVOURITE!

[Nina Eaton]

Nina didn't miss the uncertainty flash across Harper's features. She thought about rescinding her invitation, not wanting the blonde to feel pressured into going. Nina hadn't really thought this whole thing through, she realized. If she was a good friend then she would have found someone else to go with her, someone who didn't have such a horrible history with Mount Weather. But before Nina could tell the girl that she would find someone else, she heard the girl agree to go with her. Her eyebrows went up in surprise but a grin found its way onto her face. "Excellent!" She said. She laughed at Harper's comment about not wanting Nina to have to go with someone other than her favorite. "My point exactly," Nina pointed out. She adored Harper and admired the strength the girl had found since Mount Weather. Perhaps that had been why Nina had been so eager to agree to help train her with combat. Those sort of traits were rare these days and Nina would do anything to keep someone like that close to her. It wasn't that she didn't have friends, it was that most of her friends hadn't made it down here. Nina had always busied herself with training back on the Ark, so her group had been small. Sure, Bellamy was down here but she knew he had a lot going on and she wasn't one to bother him to hang out with her.

Handing Harper a bag, Nina readjusted her own backpack. "We're good to go unless you need to do anything first," Nina explained. They were all set to head out and although she had tried to get Kane to give her a rover, he had said that the two of them could walk. Nina hated the idea of being vulnerable on all sides, whereas the rover gave them some sort of barrier between them and any enemies that might find them. Given their current relationship with the grounders, she didn't think it would be an issue but she was never one to assume the best of people. Nina would bet that there were still grounders out there that did not like the idea of having an alliance with the sky people. 

She led Harper towards the gate so they could leave on their journey. She hoped it wouldn't take too long to catch up to Bellamy and his ground, but she also knew that they had been given a rover to drive in. They would probably be at Mount Weather in a few hours, whereas Nina knew the walk took around eight. People guarding the gate noticed Nina and Harper and they signaled for the gates to open. She took this time to really look at Arkadia and everything that it had accomplished in the past few months. Things were going great but Nina never said it aloud, afraid that it would jinx their community. The gates were opened and Nina led Harper outside, leaving the sound of them closing behind her. "Glad you decided to come," Nina confessed, offering the girl a small smile.


@harpermcintyre | ME TOO! I thought it was an awesome idea to have Harp be her favorite sparring partner.

[Deleted]

This is my Fight Song --TAKE BACK MY LIFE SONG, PROVE I'M ALRIGHT SONG Without any hesitation, Harper took the backpack from Nina and swung it up onto her shoulder. After those months, it was a familiar weight to her and like the gun she always carried, it was something that gave her a sense of comfort. She nodded at Nina's comment. If she went to do anything else first, she knew she would likely find herself changing her mind about accompanying Nina. If she just went with her now, while her mind was set, she knew she wouldn't get that chance to change her mind and turn back. "All good to go," Harper confirmed. She put a smile on her face, a struggle with where she knew she was going. Still possible, however, due to the fact that it was Nina whom she was going with. She was grateful to her for training Harper but she also just enjoyed the company of the other girl. Putting aside their destination, she could at least enjoy the trip because of that.  By the time they were at the gate it was obvious to Harper that they would be walking and not taking a rover. Harper didn't mind in the fact that she enjoyed walking but she knew that would make the trip so much longer. That was more time for her nerves to build and more time for her to regret her decision. She could only hope that the time would move quickly with Nina. There was a sense of finality to her decision as those gates shut behind her. She glanced back at them, knowing that they would open again when she returned but still her eyes glinted with worry. She tried to push that worry from her mind as her gaze and attention settled back on Nina. "Glad I came," Harper replied, feeling silly as the words left her mouth.  She put some of her focus on her feet, stepping over some tree roots. "So, did the other group walk as well?" Harper could remember seeing Bellamy's group leave the camp. She must have been somewhere away from the gate when that happened. "'Catching up' with them will be a bit difficult if they didn't." As much as Harper knew that they weren't being sent as babysitters, she didn't know how much she trusted Bell and the others that were probably with him to keep a low-profile and not cause a problem. She knew Bell had matured a lot since arriving on Earth but she still knew he was the guy who liked to have fun. Fun was not something they could have at Mount Weather - not even putting the history into it - because they had no idea how the grounders would react if they knew that it was being used by them. Nina Eaton || Ninarper <3

[Nina Eaton]

She smiled at Harper as she said that she was glad she came. She knew she was probably still feeling a little nervous, not that she blamed her, but Nina wanted to make sure that she felt comfortable the entire time they were there. If she needed to leave, then Nina would leave with her. The only reason she was even going was because Kane had asked her to, and even then she hadn't really wanted to go. She had been in Mount Weather too and while she hadn't been drilled like Harper or some of the others, she had been chained up and ready to put on the chopping block. Luckily Clarke and Bellamy had saved them before that could happen, but she had a feeling that the mountain might still give her the creeps. She knew they wouldn't be going into the room that held their experiments, but knowing it was there still creeped her out.

Nina scoffed and shook her head. "No," she said. "They were able to take a rover. Bigger group means getting a rover I guess. Although I did try to get us one, trust me." Nina had done enough walking to last her the rest of her life. Besides, she knew how long it would take for them to get there. She didn't see why they couldn't have taken a rover, especially if the group needed them as badly as Kane believed they did. Why bother sending them at all if their timing wasn't important? Nina knew they wouldn't make it before nightfall, which meant they would have to find somewhere to rest for the night. Whether they found a cave or even stumbled upon that bunker that Finn had found, they would have to figure something out. And Nina preferred to figure it out before it got dark.

"I still don't know why Kane felt the need to send us," Nina said. "I'm sure they will be fine. They've got a good group." Not that Nina would ever say that around Bellamy. She knew he didn't need his ego inflated anymore than it already was. "We could be doing something far more productive, in my opinion." Like, sparing for instance. Nina would have loved to blow off some steam with Harper. She had been feeling a little rusty on some of her moves and trying to work that out would have been a good use of her time. "But we'll want to make camp somewhere before it gets dark," she said. Nina wanted to point that out so she wasn't the only one thinking about it. Knowing her luck, she would forget about it until it was too dark to see anything.


@harpermcintyre

[Deleted]

This is my Fight Song --TAKE BACK MY LIFE SONG, PROVE I'M ALRIGHT SONG It was no surprise at all to Harper that Bell's group had gotten a rover. She had hoped they hadn't but had highly doubted that her hope was correct. It would give Nina and herself a very low chance of catching up to the group in a time frame that would matter. So, to Harper, the trip seemed sort of pointless. "Lots of logic there," Harper commented as she rolled her eyes. "I'm sure it wouldn't have been too difficult to give us a rover." Although, who knew what reasons they could have for not giving them a rover. The adults in charge were great at giving reasons. She guessed it didn't matter too much now, they were out and on their way. Whatever help they could give to the group when they got there, they would. "Oh, I can see the reason why he sent us." Harper grinned and lifted her hand to start listing reasons off her fingers. "They're loud, they don't always think when they're excited, there are always grounders, and well, I wouldn't be too surprised if they accidentally got themselves locked a room once they make it there." She found herself laughing as she finished speaking. It wasn't that she really believed they were that dumb, she just knew that when people got excited, they could do stupid things. She'd seen it time after time, even with herself. Bellamy and the others were a good group though and Harper was sure that they would survive until Nina and herself managed to catch up to them. "This is more productive than what I was doing but I'm sure we could." Looking at Nina, she thought of training of course. It had been a while since she'd done some solid training with anyone and if she wasn't practicing, she'd become rusty. Harper definitely hadn't thought about making camp. There hadn't been much attention payed to how late it actually was. As she looked up at the sky, seeing where the sun was positioned, she understood why Nina had pointed that out. They wouldn't make it to Mount Weather before dark and they wouldn't want to be still walking at night. It really wouldn't be worth getting lost. Harper had no idea if Nina had packed a tent for them but it didn't matter too much, tents were a luxury. If they found a cave they would be fine, and if worse came to worse they could sleep with a fire going. That would likely keep them safe enough from animals at least. "Do we have a tent?" She could at least ask. "Otherwise, I might know a cave we can use." Nina Eaton || They'll be making camp, huh.

[Nina Eaton]

She looked over and grinned at Harper, listening to her counting off the reasons on her fingers. She laughed and nodded her head. "They don't think when they're excited?" Nina asked with a raised brow. "That's being generous. I'd say they never think." She ran a hand through her brown locks and laughed, shaking her head in disbelief at how some people could be so smart and so stupid at the same time. But she knew Bellamy and his group would be fine. They didn't even really need them, but she had a feeling that Kane wanted the extra bodies there just in case the grounders decided they didn't like them using Mount Weather. The whole thing had been iffy to begin with, but now she knew that things were going to go South. After all of the people the grounders had lost there over the years, she wasn't surprised that they wanted to place to never be used again. But they also didn't understand all of the advantages the place had. Using Mount Weather would be an issue that Nina knew wouldn't be over anytime soon.

Nina shook her head. "No tent," she said. She hadn't even bothered to ask, knowing that she would have received another firm 'no' from Kane. But the tents were rare and even then they were given for people to live in. The ark may have landed on the ground but not every room was habitable. But the good thing was that there were plenty of caves around here and hearing Harper say that she knew where one was made Nina relieved. "Yeah let's try to find it now," she said. If they tried to settle down with a few hours of sunlight left then they could at least try to gather some wood for a small fire. The nights were getting colder and Nina knew that even snuggling up next to Harper wouldn't keep them that warm.


@harpermcintyre

[Deleted]

This is my Fight Song --TAKE BACK MY LIFE SONG, PROVE I'M ALRIGHT SONG Harper's jaw dropped down for a second at Nina's comment before she burst out laughing. "Yes, they don't." Again, she was sure that the group would manage fine until they got there. They managed fine most of the time. The trip for Harper and Nina was a little pointless but she guessed the more backup, the better. No one could know how the grounders would react to this change in how Mount Weather was being used. Nina's comment had left Harper grinning from ear to ear and she was sure her face would hurt soon. The girl had a great sense of humor and it was something that Harper really appreciated. It made spending time with her anything but boring. That was something that would make the long trip to Mount Weather worth it, the time spent hearing Nina make jokes. The time spent with Nina, really. It was a different environment to the one they usually spent time together in when they were training.  There was a slight feeling of disappointment to the fact that they didn't have a tent but no surprise whatsoever. Cave it was. Harper just had to hope that she would be able to find it. She was pretty sure that there was one only a five minute walk or so from where they were but she also wasn't the best at navigating. It would have to be an exercise in trusting her instincts and her memory. There was a cave. Harper had seen it. She'd even seen it travelling from the direction that they were in. It would be a piece of cake. If she believed that she wouldn't lead herself and Nina in circles. "Alright, it's in this direction," Harper said, starting off in the direction she thought the cave was in. She smiled confidently at Nina before setting her attention back to where she was walking. If the cave was where Harper thought it was, they would make it there was a good amount of sunlight left. That was definitely a relief for Harper, she didn't want to be still walking around at night with no clear place to sleep. When it got dark, it got dark. As she walked, finding her surroundings becoming more familiar, Harper brought up a comment that Nina had made earlier. "What more productive thing do you think we could be doing?" She was half genuinely interested and half just making small talk to hide the slight unneeded worry that they wouldn't find the cave. Worry that she was probably aiming at the cave so that for the moment she could forget about where the pair were going to. Nina Eaton || Flipped a coin about the cave and whether she'll find it. xD

[Nina Eaton]

She nodded and gladly followed Harper. She was thankful that the blonde knew of a cave nearby and that she appeared to remember where it was. She was sure that they could have figured something out if neither of them knew of a nearby shelter. They were both smart girls and they knew there were plenty of caves around here. But if Nina was going to get lost in the middle of the woods she was glad she was with Harper. The girl brought a sense of safety and calmness to Nina and she didn't really question it. If someone could provide those things then she would gladly accept them, especially down here where it was needed the most. There were some people in her life that she was drawn to for unknown reasons and she knew that Harper was definitely one of them. The girls hadn't known one another on the Ark but once they had met and began training and hanging out, Nina was glad that she had met the girl. The blonde's mere presence had the calming effect she so often needed.

Taking her question into consideration, Nina thought about all of the things that could be more productive. "Well, we could be training. I'm sure there are plenty of things that need to be done around camp. I mean, I'm sure there's something that needed to be done other than go after this group. I really don't see how two extra guards will help the security at Mount Weather," Nina pointed out. "And we could always do some extra training. That's never a bad idea." Especially if she got to train with Harper, who she had declared to be her favorite sparring partner already. Nina didn't mind pairing up with others but if Harper was around then she always made sure to grab the girl. She didn't hate the idea of them training in minimal clothing either.

Nina kept her eyes peeled for any sign of a cave. She glanced over at Harper to read her features and she could see a small amount of concern on her face. She didn't know if it was because they were headed towards Mount Weather or if it was because she was having a hard time locating the cave. Either way, Nina reached out and squeezed her arm to let her know that everything would be okay and that they would get through this together. Nina was not about to let anything bad happen to Harper.


@harpermcintyre

[Deleted]

This is my Fight Song --TAKE BACK MY LIFE SONG, PROVE I'M ALRIGHT SONG Harper nodded along at Nina's reply, noticing her double mention of training with a forming grin. "Not a bad idea at all," she repeated. Really, if Harper were trying to think of a more productive thing to do other than be backup for the Mount Weather group, training was definitely on her list as well. It was one of her favourite things to do, especially when it was training with Nina. It could have had something to do with the fact that it was really the only time that the two spent time together. Harper wasn't sure why that was so, she would be lying if she said that she didn't want to spent more time with Nina. The two got along so well and had from the start been like old friends. There wasn't any chance that Harper would blow off someone who she got along with that well. Out of all the things that Harper expected, Nina squeezing her arm was definitely not one of them. Harper looked up in surprise at the touch. It wasn't like she hadn't been touched by Nina before, they trained together for goodness sake, but it definitely felt a lot different. It was a comforting gesture. That much was enough for Harper to guess that she had been looking worried and she immediately smiled. The worry she held was not something that she wanted Nina to see, especially since it was rooted in the fact that they were going to Mount Weather. The last thing Harper wanted was for Nina to feel guilty about asking Harper to go with her. There wasn't any part of Harper that wanted to be the reason for any negative feelings of Nina's. She would keep up a happy face and keep up a confident look. It couldn't be that hard to do. Still, even though it was a silly thought, Harper wouldn't have minded Nina touching her again. For that moment, she pushed that thought out of her mind and put her attention yet again onto the fact that she was looking for a cave for them to crash in. It didn't take long after that for her to spot it. Finally. Her face lit up at the sight of the stone entrance to the cave and she did everything she could to not jump up and down like a child. Relief ran through her body from the unneeded worry she had held about finding the cave or not. "Our home for the night," Harper announced, turning to smile at Nina. It may have been a little too proudly. After all, it was usually Nina teaching her and this was something where she had gotten the advantage. Now they just had to hope that the cave was empty of predators and grounders. Nina Eaton || So the coin toss ended up on heads.

[Nina Eaton]

Nina gave her a reassuring smile when she was met with Harper's surprised look from her touch. Nina was not known to be a very affectionate person but sometimes she found herself slipping up when she was around people she cared about. She didn't care for hugs when someone was leaving on a trip and she certainly didn't do random hugs. But this moment was a little different and she didn't mind the physical contact at all. In fact, she had reached out to the girl without even thinking about it. It had been an automatic response to seeing any sort of concern on Harper's face. She wanted Harper to know that they would find some place to stay the night, even if they couldn't find the cave.

They walked for a little more until Nina saw Harper form a grin on her face. She looked in the direction that her friend was looking and she smiled when she spotted the entrance to a cave. "See? I knew you could find it," she said. The two made their way into the cave and Nina looked around to see if there were any signs of someone else living here or even an animal. The entrance showed no signs of a life so Nina moved in a little more, continuing to check for any signs that would cause concern. They wouldn't be staying at the mouth of the cave anyway, so it only made sense to continue moving further into it.

Once she was satisfied that their space was not inhabited by anyone or anything, she moved to gather some rocks so they could create a small fire to keep them warm. Then again, Nina wasn't opposed to the idea of not having a fire and simply snuggling up with Harper so they could survive the night. "Let's get some sticks for a small fire while it's still light out," Nina suggested, dropping her back on the ground in the cave. She supposed it was a stupid move, considering a grounder could steal it but she didn't plan on traveling far away from the mouth of the cave so she would be able to keep an eye on things.

She left the cave and began to gather twigs and larger sticks in her arms. She would occasionally grab some smaller twigs for kindle but kept to gathering the sticks that would do a good job burning. Nina didn't know how long she had been collecting sticks but once she believed she had enough, she returned to the cave and dropped them on the ground near the makeshift fireplace she had created with the stones. Nina sat down and began to arrange the sticks so they could start a fire. "Too bad we don't have a little heater," she said with a small laugh. Nina had never been skilled at creating a fire so she hoped Harper was a little better. If not, she knew they could figure it out together.

@harpermcintyre

[Deleted]

This is my Fight Song --TAKE BACK MY LIFE SONG, PROVE I'M ALRIGHT SONG Seeing Nina's smile and hearing her words of affirmation made Harper feel quite proud. She grinned like an idiot as they moved closer to the cave to check it for any signs of life, letting that bit of happiness cover her worry for the moment. While checking the cave was empty, Harper kept her hand hovered near her gun, ready to take it out if any signs of danger appeared. Her biggest fear about the situation wasn't that they would find a grounder in the cave. No, with the ceasefire and agreement that the Arkers had with the Grounders, Harper didn't have reason to be worried about that. The reason she was ready to take her gun out was the worry that an animal was using the cave. An animal wouldn't listen to reason, especially when they were the ones invading its home. If there was one in the cave, she would make sure that it couldn't hurt her and that it especially couldn't hurt Nina. Luckily, Harper had no reason to take out her gun. The cave was completely empty. It was the perfect resting place for her and Nina, large enough to be comfortable for the both of them. Harper felt it would probably be best if they slept close anyway, though, to keep warm throughout the night. The nights could get extremely cold and there was always a chance of the fire going out while they were asleep. The general idea of cuddling up with Nina was also an appealing idea to Harper, she had to admit. Watching the older girl as she placed rocks down for the fire, Harper really found herself appreciating the fact that Nina had invited her to come with her to Mount Weather. If she were going to face that place again, she couldn't have asked for a better person to be with. She felt comfortable around the other girl and that was a lot to say when facing the place where she had been sure she would die. When the two girls returned from collecting stick, Harper dropped her own bag down onto the ground next to Nina's. She crouched down next to the makeshift fireplace to help with positioning the sticks they had collected. They stood the sticks up against each other, making a small tepee shape. At Nina's heater comment, Harper laughed. As much as a little heater sounded nice, Harper had found that she actually enjoyed sitting around a fire. "A fire works just as well." Knowing that she could make a fire, Harper took over. She hadn't any idea whether Nina could make a fire or not but she wanted to show the other girl that she could. She got the smaller twigs together, placing them at the edge of the other wood before starting the fire. With the fire now going, Harper looked over at Nina. "At least we won't freeze," she said. The warmth of the fire, while not needed urgently at that moment, was already a comforting presence that Harper couldn't image having to be without. It was almost as much of a comforting presence as Nina. As she sat down next to Nina, her legs happy to get a rest from crouching, she glanced out the mouth of the cave. She could already see an orange tint to the sky that told her the sun was setting. They had found the cave and started the fire at the perfect time to keep themselves safe and warm. Now they could rest and prepare to leave again in the morning to finish the journey to Mount Weather. But as much as Harper liked the idea of resting, she still felt like she wanted to do something else before settling down. "You said you wanted to do some training earlier. This cave is big enough if you still wanted to? We'll get some use out of the trip." Nina Eaton || I wonder if there's mud around? imeanwut

[Nina Eaton]

She nodded her head with a chuckle. Harper had a point; at least they wouldn't freeze. Of course, her worries had been calmed when it was made clear that Harper did know how to start a fire and do so properly. She sat back and watched the blonde work on the fire and smiled when flames appeared and began to eat at the wood they had provided. Harper sat down next to her and she glanced over at the girl. As far as Nina was concerned, Harper was the only person she wanted to be here with. Not only was she extremely sweet, but Nina found her to be a very beautiful girl. There were times that she found it distracting to the point that she thought sparring with her was almost counterproductive. But then she disliked the idea of trying to train with anyone but Harper so she dismissed those thoughts entirely.

A grin formed on her features when Harper suggested practicing their fighting skills. "I'm down!" She said with a grin. Nina stood up and shrugged her jacket off, tossing it onto her backpack. "Have you been trying to read body language with other people you spar with like I taught you?" Nina asked. She had always been the best at reading body language and guessing what other people would do before they did it. Bodies would often betray the element of surprise and that's what made Nina one of the best. Nina usually tried to keep that skill to herself but she had found herself attempting to teach Harper without even realizing it. But once it begun she had continued to teach the girl, wanting Harper to be able to protect herself no matter what.


@harpermcintyre

[Deleted]

This is my Fight Song --TAKE BACK MY LIFE SONG, PROVE I'M ALRIGHT SONG Harper jumped up when Nina agreed to do some training, excited to get into the familiarity of training with her. Also because this would give her more opportunity to touch Nina. She couldn't quite shake the feeling of Nina's hand on her arm from earlier. As Nina removed her jacket, Harper's eyes automatically fell to the bare skin of her arms and shape of her chest that feel under her shirt. But they quickly moved back up to her face. By that stage, it was an automatic response, something she always did when they trained. Harper wasn't quite ready to admit out loud the things her eyes did around Nina, or more the images her mind produced from that, but they were there. She had well decided by that point that she needed Nina as a trainer more than she needed her as anything else because she knew she couldn't lose that, but that still didn't stop her from reacting to Nina as she did. As for then, she had managed to keep her thoughts calm during the walk so if she slipped up, oh well. With Nina looking ready to go, Harper shrugged her own jacket off and walked a couple steps from the fire. At Nina's question, Harper nodded. "Yeah, I've been trying." Emphasis on trying. As much as Harper liked to think she was a naturally person at reading body language, any skills she thought she had hadn't helped her with what Nina was trying to teach her. Any skills that Harper had apparently didn't line up with those needed in a sparing situation. Harper had been practicing what Nina had been teaching her, however she didn't seem to be able guess what other people would do the way Nina did. Not even close. "You make it look easy," -- and Harper pretty much believed Nina was just a natural at it by then -- "while it isn't for the rest of us." In that moment she almost went to attack Nina, to catch her by surprise but she paused to wonder if Nina might expect it from her comment and that moment passed. So instead she just expanded on what she had been saying. "I've only rarely guessed what someone was about to do." Nina Eaton || It's like 4am so that first paragraph is nothing but feeeeeels.

[Nina Eaton]

Nina began stretching her arms, crossing one over her chest and pressing on her upper arm to stretch the muscle. She repeated the stretch with the other arm and then she reached behind her to catch her foot, stretching her legs that way. She nodded her head as she listened to Harper said that she had been trying to practice. Nina was glad that she was at least trying outside of their training sessions, and that's really all the girl could do. She knew it was difficult because she had once tried teaching another person even though she didn't usually do so, and they had always been confused by her words. It was as if she wasn't speaking English at all. But Harper at least appeared to understand what Nina was pointing out. She knew it would take time for Harper to be able to recognize certain signs while also staying focused on her surroundings. It appeared to be true that Nina was a natural at this and she wasn't going to say that she had just continued to practice. It had been something she had started to notice during training. She was not, however, a natural at reading facial expressions. She wished she was but it was something that she just couldn't seem to grasp. At least reading body language would help her in a fight. 

She didn't want to say that it was easy for her because she didn't want to discourage Harper. Nina would get the girl to learn and remember everything; she was determined. A little chuckle left her lips and she shrugged. "Everything seems easy when someone else is teaching you. But just try to practice. Next time there are training sessions, maybe sit it out but watch everyone else. Focus on their body language to see if you can guess what their next move could be. That way you can focus on that and not have to worry about being attacked." She knew it would probably be hard for Harper to sit out on a training session, so Nina offered something else. "I'll sit out with you. Wouldn't want someone else replacing my favorite sparring partner." She grinned at the girl before nodding her head. "It sort of is a guessing game until you really get the hang of it. Just make educated guesses. That's all you can do other than practice."

"Remember," Nina began, walking over to Harper and grabbing either side of her torso. "This is a person's center. This is where someone starts trying to control their body language to trick someone." She looked up at Harper, eyebrows raised to make sure the girl was listening to her words. She had been over this before but had been unable to resist getting a chance to touch the girl. "Work from the feet up. A person's feet is what gives them away, followed by their center." She reluctantly moved her hands off of Harper and took a few steps back so they could begin to spar. Nina took a fighting stance and put her fists up. While Nina knew how to spot body language, she certainly couldn't mask her own moves. It was something that was near impossible to do. But so long as she could guess what someone else was going to do then she would be fine. "We just need to be careful because we don't really have any matts and I don't want either of us falling back and hitting our heads on the walls." The very hard, stone walls.


@harpermcintyre | SO MANY FEELS! Uhm your whole reply was Ninarper feels, not just the first paragraph.