Karie
It was a crisp 6am, and there was a distinct chill in the air. October was coming, and Danica could feel it inching its fingers slowly to a hold over the course of her runs. She should have left for one about half an hour ago, but she was feeling lazy. Maybe later. It wasn't like her to skip, but hey, everyone's only human. Regrettably. *Maybe.*

She was curled up on one of the slightly too tough couches the facility offered, her face turned to the buzzing of a flatscreen. A hot mug kissed her fingers with warmth, and thick socks kept out the chill let in by the large windows and concrete halls. The facility was really quite drab when you let it be, at least in passing. 

The TV speakers muffled quietly with the sound of announcers and crowds, a far cry from what Danica usually watched. She'd put on figure skating reruns but Ares had managed to convince her into streaming baseball. He was perched on the edge of his seat like a vulture ready to swoop, holding his cup by the rim like his hand was a concealed claw. It was the first time she'd ever seen him so captivated by anything. Kid really did like baseball, didn't he? Danica sipped her tea. There were certainly worse things to watch. She'd be lying if she said she didn't just like sports in general. Something bugged her though.

"What was that chat thing about? Seemed weird. Why go so out of your way, Morales?" 
She sipped her tea, the light gravelling rasp to her voice like a clean block of slate.
Will
The morning had started rather shit for Morales. He hadn't gotten any good sleep, for the frustrations that bubbled in his mind with an annoying persistence kept him tossing and turning without a wink of sleep. A stress that had translated into a boredom, was pestering Ares in a taunt. 

Bothering the person who always seemed to sob and throw a tantrum at his presence did very little to help this, if anything it just pissed him off further. Left him even more restless and uneasy. It normally worked wonders, but something about tonight sat with him wrong. Before Ares could make another terrible choice, perfect timing as always, Danica had suggested tea and TV. Perhaps *This* Would be a better way to spend his time. 

Before making his way to the room she had mentioned, he stopped by the kitchen to congratulate Finley on their pizza. Grabbing two slices on separate plates, and heading on his way. 

Some time had passed, leaving the two sitting on separate couches, watching baseball per Ares' request. He watched the way the ball moved, silently cheered when the batter successfully hit a ball over a hundred miles per hour. Seemingly in his mind, captivated by something for once. The taller boy was still, devoid of his normal fidgeting and impatient behaviour. 

His eyes were drawn away from the screen by Danica's words. The crowd that cheered over the muffled speakers faded into the background, Ares was no longer processing it. An empty cup and a half finished plate rested on the table beside the armrest. 

"I was bored." He shrugged with a half smirk. It seemed forced, but it was hard to tell the difference between an Ares that was sleep deprived, and an Ares that was lying.
Karie
Danica squinted at him from across their spots as everyone on the screen cheered for an opposing out. He sounded like he didn't really believe what he was saying. It wasn't hard to gauge that he was off today, probably in more ways than one, and that his unusual behaviour must've been from that. He liked to toy with people and Danica knew it, but hell like she was an innocent person in any place to judge. This was different though. He was stepping a line here that didn't really match up quite right. Morales could be as ass however much he wanted, but the kid still had a core to it that Danica respected. He had been just a little too comfortable with letting it get soft, and Danica wasn't one to leave things unsaid.

"Hm. So that was your solution? Waste of time and a half."

She took another sip from her tea, looking at the tv while she spoke. She sounded cool and informative, dull as she often was, like she was just someone relaying to him the facts of the matter. 

"They piss you off or what?"
Will
Ares stared at Danica, before looking back away at something behind the TV. The flashing images fell out of his peripheral, as he picked up his cup and held it by his lips in hesitation.

"Yeah I suppose it was." 

His eyes flicked over to her to gauge her expression. She looked relatively the same, cold and quiet and composed. Her gaze was something that he couldn't really avoid, and a part of him respected that and another hated it. She knew something was underneath his half baked smirks. Something was strange about that, it never sat right with Ares. The fear in being known. 

"Yeah. Moru specifically. He frustrates me." 

Ares tapped his finger on the warm mug rim. His fidgeting had returned, the childlike gaze that fell on his beloved sport had disappeared and the slight raise in his brow had fallen once more.
Karie
"Frustrates you enough to go that far cause you're bored?"

She turned to him, a brow cocked. There was something about Danica's thinking face that seemed dangerous or hostile sometimes, but she wasn't being that. She was just looking at him, really. Trying to figure out what he meant. Ares deserved just about the most consideration she'd ever thought anyone did, but that didn't mean he couldn't be wrong. 

"He wasn't innocent. Said shit things too. But hey someone started that one."

She turned back to the tv, tea in hand. 

"Poor choice." 

She didn't sugar coat anything, said it how she saw it, and said it bluntly. Many may not really appreciate the way Danica went about things with as much padding as a pointe shoe, but there was something in how her and Ares understood each other that made it different.
Will
Ares' brow furrowed even further as he stared down into his empty cup. His anger was a powerful thing, it controlled most if not all of the things he did. Frustration and stress had been piling up higher and higher on his shoulders as the days went on, and the fact he trusted no one other than himself to carry it, was showing. 

He couldn't falter, he knew he had to keep this up. In his dedication to his own *"Strength"* He was making incredibly terrible decisions, decisions that didn't make him strong. The heavy weight in his stomach knew this. 

"I would've cut it out if he would've shut up sooner."

Ares' tone sounded like he was trying to convince himself of something. The conversation clearly was bothering him. 

A deep gaze stared at him from the other couch. It wasn't judgemental, but Danica was looking. Ares felt it. Watching as he bends and cracks, but never breaks. Never letting the front fall below the surface, his efforts were astounding. 

Ares knew what he did was wrong but there was weakness in that wasn't there? Attempting to ignore it a little longer was growing more and more difficult.
Karie
Morales was struggling with *Something* Here. At the very least Danica could tell that, but she had also decided he needed to suck it up a little and resolve whatever this was. His behaviour was weird, and whatever the reason, he needed to figure out what he'd done and will do about it. 

"So?"

She shifted in her seat, looking back to him.

"You think it wasn't a bad idea anyway? It was."

She wasn't speaking to him like a baby or someone who didn't know any better, quite the opposite actually. She spoke to him like he was someone who *Did* Know better, like he knew well and good he was being weird, and that he was going to have to admit that. Danica often spoke to Ares like a worthy business partner, and moments like these only accentuated it. 

"You should have at least had a good reason."
Will
Ares didn't really respond. Just grumbled something incomprehensible and tried to focus back on whatever his mind had conjured up before this painfully awkward conversation.

It wasn't exactly working.

Danica had a point, and a good one at that. It was something Ares couldn't ignore since she was saying everything Ares *Knew* But didn't want to admit. He knew he didn't have a reason, and any reason he could make up was either baseless or a lie. Neither of which he wanted to give someone like Dani. 

After a few moments he finally spoke.

"Yeah I know. It was a shitty idea." 

Realization hit him, but he didn't move. His face stayed in the same frustrated scowl, a focused yet distracted glare on something beyond his perception. What would he do about it?

He groaned and pressed his face into his hands, leaning back over the couch. Dramatically stretching himself over in confusion. 

"It was stupid as hell, but it happened. So what the fuck now." He blurted out after a sigh, straightening himself to his original position.
Karie
Danica nodded once, pleased that Ares was willing to admit he was wrong. Good on you Morales. Good on you. She took a sip from her tea as if thinking for a moment, turning back to the screen. 

"Whatever you want."

It wasn't any of her business what he did about it, she mostly just wanted to make sure he knew he was being shitty. It was a good skill to know and admit when you were wrong, and she felt it was her duty to call him out for it. She'd want him to do the same. 

"You could do nothing. You could run away and never come back. Most people think apologizing is best. Get it all out of the way and over with."
Will
Ares looked back at Dani, somewhat surprised at her complete lack of lecturing. Every time he had admitted he was wrong to someone other than his siblings they had this desire to tell him *Every single reason why* What he did was shitty, and how he shouldn't have done it, *Blah blah blah.*

Danica didn't do that. She turned away, utterly unbothered. Some may find that cold, maybe even uncaring but Ares knew better and *Appreciated* Such an understated reaction. It just, was what it was. No need for a big issue. It reminded him of being back home with Safya and Caleb. 

Refreshing to hell and back. 

"Maybe I'll say sorry later. Give him time to cool off so he doesn't chew my head off." Ares let out a small snicker.

"Although apologizing to *Him* Might take ten years off my life span." A bit larger of a laugh now. 

His smirk was returning, a certain weight was taken off his shoulders now he wasn't preparing for some sort of shame fest, where he was pointed at and ridiculed for his actions. Of course, his frustrations hadn't disappeared. They were present no matter what he did, but there was a certain comfort in them not being so overbearing. Even for a second. 

"... Thanks for this, Dani."
Karie
"You think his teeth are that sharp?"

She let out a thin smile, a blink and you'll miss it squint of her eyes at the joke. Ares was someone Danica understood, and was in turn someone who understood her, and that alone was the one thing so far that had made this whole prison deal worthwhile. It seemed more and more to drag like rotten molasses through a shag carpet, unwelcome, uncomfortable, and so very drab. At least Morales was someone worth talking to. Maybe a few others too, but she wasn't as sure. 

"10 less years of arthritis."

Danica paused. She looked up at him for a moment, and her eyes seemed shifted. Brighter. Like a heavy dusted curtain had been reeled back from a rainy window. She smiled lightly as she turned back away, and began to head for her dorm. 

"Anytime, Ares. Don't mention it."
Will
"Ah yes. My bad. Remind me to never give him that much credit ever again."

He laughed, a comfortable laugh. A shift in tone that only very few had heard, but made a huge difference. It wasn't a laugh made to mock or taunt, it was a genuine laugh. Ares was enjoying himself, *Believe or not.*

"Don't worry I wont."

Of course the boy had noticed the soft smile on her features. It was an interesting sight indeed, having only ever seen her calculated scowl. Something about that expression resonated with Ares, stuck deep down in his mind. She wasn't bothered by him, at least not enough to never smile. A similar smirk lingered on Ares' features as Danica got up and walked off to her dorm.

"See ya around." He softly called out, a rather contrasting tone from the frustrated grumbles he had started with. 

Ares pulled out his phone as he remained seated, thinking about the conversation he just had. She was right.

*Now what was Moru's username again...* 
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