Zeravia's Five

thirty-five

Tate watched from afar, his gaze set on Angel who was training with that Alec character. He paid close attention to the way the boy made her laugh, the way they joked around while fighting one another. It stung at his heart, a smile tugging at his lips. They reminded him of when he'd train with Simon. That duality, the fine line between love and friendship. If there was one thing he had learned over the years, being desperately in love with someone who never showed signs of loving him back... it was that friends didn't look at each other that way. In the end, Simon had confessed... he had more than confessed. They had shared a bed together, kissed... Tate let out a sigh and shook his head, Angel's part in his plan was bigger than any of the others'. She was one of the very few he had never worried about when it came to survival. She could easily do what he needed her to do and survive.

The dark haired boy slowly walked towards the pair, earning a quick wave and a smile. The blonde girl shifting away from Alec. Tate let out a quiet chuckle, he knew that reaction all too well. That moment of panic, feeling like you had been caught doing something that wasn't allowed. He gestured for Angel to come towards him and she did, her steps quick. She knew that if he was calling her over it was for a reason and she had been made aware that he would be passing at some point during the day to explain his plan. He cleared his throat when she reached him, quirking her brows and waiting for him to speak, but he didn't. He looked around before setting his gaze back onto her.

"Do you know of a private place where we can speak?" His question wasn't supposed to get Angel's playful mood back to the seriousness he had met, but it did. It was like this simply question was enough for her to get into the war mode.

"Of course... follow me," she told him, turning away and leading him towards a small house, not too far away from the training grounds.

She opened the door for him and walked in right after, shutting the door before gesturing towards the table surrounded by a few old looking wooden chair. They had lost their initial colour, darkened, memory create stains over two of them. He didn't know whose house that was, but it felt warm, homey. The decor subtle, but there. Everything had a place. He scanned whatever he could see as he made his way to the table, sitting down. She sat across from him and stared at the boy, waiting for whatever it was he needed to tell her in privacy. The silence was slowly eating away at her. She carried the same fatal flaw that Tate had... curiosity.

"Can we get started with whatever this serious look on your face is about?" She spoke, breaking the silence and crossing her arms, leaning into the chair.

She seemed comfortable, in her element. That could only mean one thing. This house was hers. That was where she had grown up. Close to the castle, near the training grounds. The late King must've made sure she was cared for. If he was anything like Theo, that was what Tate believed he had done. His icy blue eyes trailed over a few blurry pictures before finding their way to Angel's face. She looked like she was about to explode. Even though this could jeopardize everything, he had no choice.

"I have a plan..." He started, making one of his dramatic pauses. The girl leaned in, moving a hand up gesturing for him to go on. He leaned against the table and sighed, "I need your help for it to be a success, are you willing to help me?"

The girl looked at him and she already knew she would be the only one with knowledge about his plan. She had heard whispers from Isobel and Theo that he was particularly secretive about the entirety of his plan. She sighed and shoved her face into the palm of her hand. Accepting to help him would probably mean putting in a lot of effort and if she was going to put in work, she wanted answers.

"Sure, but if I do decide to help you, I want to know what your blessing is, full disclosure," her tone was definite and Tate could tell this was not up for discussion. He needed her and so... he decided she would know the full extent of his blessing and the explanation behind it.