That night Mina climbed down for the slowly crumbling tree house after wiping her tears away. By the time she returned the mansion, it was dark and the maids had turned in for the evening. She got into bed, sleeping restlessly as every alert on her phone seemed to revive her hope that Oliver had finally responded to her—at the very least to tell her that he was sorry he had forgotten about her. That message never came, though. She was all alone, it seemed. She actually looked forward to being fussed over by the maids, something she found irritating even though she cared for them. Monday rolled around and she was sitting in class, well-rested from being by herself over the weekend, but still with her head in the clouds. She was staring out of the window when her demon appeared, staring daggers at an unsuspecting Oliver. Somehow he knew that something had happened. He always seemed to know things without being present. If he knew what he did, then he must have known how upset she was. She didn’t know if he kept his distance to teach her a lesson or if he genuinely didn’t care that she had been upset all weekend. Mina didn’t mind being left alone to make her own mistakes, and being spared an ‘I told you so,’ but she thought they were friends . . .<br/><br/>She could have used one.<br/><br/>The intentional shoulder check didn’t escape her. Oliver was walking away slowly, a scowl on his features while he rubbed his arm. To Mina, if Oliver didn’t want to be friends any longer, that was fine. She just didn’t want to make an enemy.<br/><br/>“Sick? I feel—“ Before she could protest, a whirl of shadows claimed her, transporting her to the comfort and familiarity of her room. Syn sat her down, staring at her in silence for a long, uncomfortable moment. She didn’t know if he was waiting on her to speak, or if he planned to stare her down for the rest of the day. When he finally said something, it wasn’t at all what she was expecting. “Of course, the lesson is more important than the person.” She muttered, slipping off her shoes.<br/><br/>“I don’t pride myself on a lot, as you very well know, but I do know that I’m a good friend. I like to be there for my friends when they’re down, I like to support them, and let them know that everything is going to be all right when everything in their world is shitty. I could have used someone to do the same for me . . .” Mina explained, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She was sensing a trend; that Syn believed it was more important to prove a point—to punish and be right-- than it was to show concern for others when needed. “Friendship first, lesson later. Can you promise me?” She asked, staring up at him.