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Description
"How do you feel about Ms. Karlsson?"

Laurie couldn’t help but feel a bit perturbed at first by that thought… but she just shook her head with a small, sad smile…

The ashen blonde glanced at Nea momentarily; the artist was looking into the fire, an absent-minded glaze to her eyes. She was prodding at a piece of firewood with her ruddy sneaker, clearly bored.
Nea always had such a flinty expression… her deep-set, icy-blue eyes and rough skin only adding to her stony, ever-present scowl.
Laurie couldn’t help but linger in her observation of the woman; she had a beauty to her that just she could easily recognize. It wasn’t just physically, but in her the way she moved… in her brash way of interacting with others…
Nea always stood out as being the one person who could make Laurie feel both so at-home, yet on her toes… it was exhilarating.

She couldn’t help but jump when Nea regarded her with a sidelong glance.
She felt a cold sweat as she quickly looked away, silently cursing her inability to play it cool. Any hopes for recovery disappeared as she felt a blush heat her face up…
“What’s up?”
Laurie glanced once again at Nea, trying to return a competent form of articulation.
“Oh… uh… not much, I’m just… watching.”
Nea raised a scathing brow, “You’re watchin’ me watch the fire?”
Laurie felt like her voice was just a bit too deep in her chest as she responded.
“Uhhh… no, just… looking around. For the others in case… you know, the mist starts to thicken.”
Nea returned her gaze to the fire, her expression slightly less stern.

‘Wow, Laurie… real subtle.’ A voice, mocking yet clearly benevolent flowed naturally from Laurie’s past and into her hurried thoughts… She couldn’t help but smile wryly at the brief image of the brash brunette.
‘…subtle isn’t he?…’
And just like that. A slightly darker echo…
Laurie immediately felt that cold, hard lump… the one that sank through her like a stone in the darkest ocean… giving rise to memories of that day.

“God… it will never go away… I will always remember it so clearly…”
Laurie felt like just laying down.
She nearly jumped as she felt the shorter woman’s arm snake around her shoulder.
Her face grew so hot, she was sure it was visible even in the orange glow of the fire…
“You’re such a bad liar, Laurie.” Nea snickered, and Laurie couldn’t help but chuckle along.

Before long, the two grew comfortably silent; with Laurie adjusting to lean back against the log, allowing Nea to pull her close as they waited for the others.

Description
"How do you feel about Ms. Karlsson?"

Laurie couldn’t help but feel a bit perturbed at first by that thought… but she just shook her head with a small, sad smile…

The ashen blonde glanced at Nea momentarily; the artist was looking into the fire, an absent-minded glaze to her eyes. She was prodding at a piece of firewood with her ruddy sneaker, clearly bored.
Nea always had such a flinty expression… her deep-set, icy-blue eyes and rough skin only adding to her stony, ever-present scowl.
Laurie couldn’t help but linger in her observation of the woman; she had a beauty to her that just she could easily recognize. It wasn’t just physically, but in her the way she moved… in her brash way of interacting with others…
Nea always stood out as being the one person who could make Laurie feel both so at-home, yet on her toes… it was exhilarating.

She couldn’t help but jump when Nea regarded her with a sidelong glance.
She felt a cold sweat as she quickly looked away, silently cursing her inability to play it cool. Any hopes for recovery disappeared as she felt a blush heat her face up…
“What’s up?”
Laurie glanced once again at Nea, trying to return a competent form of articulation.
“Oh… uh… not much, I’m just… watching.”
Nea raised a scathing brow, “You’re watchin’ me watch the fire?”
Laurie felt like her voice was just a bit too deep in her chest as she responded.
“Uhhh… no, just… looking around. For the others in case… you know, the mist starts to thicken.”
Nea returned her gaze to the fire, her expression slightly less stern.

‘Wow, Laurie… real subtle.’ A voice, mocking yet clearly benevolent flowed naturally from Laurie’s past and into her hurried thoughts… She couldn’t help but smile wryly at the brief image of the brash brunette.
‘…subtle isn’t he?…’
And just like that. A slightly darker echo…
Laurie immediately felt that cold, hard lump… the one that sank through her like a stone in the darkest ocean… giving rise to memories of that day.

“God… it will never go away… I will always remember it so clearly…”
Laurie felt like just laying down.
She nearly jumped as she felt the shorter woman’s arm snake around her shoulder.
Her face grew so hot, she was sure it was visible even in the orange glow of the fire…
“You’re such a bad liar, Laurie.” Nea snickered, and Laurie couldn’t help but chuckle along.

Before long, the two grew comfortably silent; with Laurie adjusting to lean back against the log, allowing Nea to pull her close as they waited for the others.