Upon entering the gym, Korina instinctively removed her shoes so she could feel the inviting coolness of the hardwood under her soles. She would have loved to also hop onto some of the equipment, but unfortunately that was not the purpose of today's visit. She left her backpack by the door before she joined Dark by the bleachers.<br/><br/>She sat in silence as she waited for the girl to compose herself, allowing her to lead the conversation. The same black folder from weeks ago emerged from her bag and settled in her lap before she finally addressed her.<br/><br/>There was an air of nervousness that could be sensed from Dark, and in a way, it was getting to Kori too. She really did want to talk about Dark's story, but it was difficult to decide in what sense. As an avid reader and flattered muse, Kori wanted to commend Dark for the work she had so artfully crafted and read even more of her creations. But as the unwilling source of high school gossip, she would much rather have preferred that it did not see the light of day. She couldn't have it both ways.<br/><br/>"Dark, how can I say this... I really loved the story, I honestly did. It's kinda easy to tell that Evera is based on me, and I must admit, it's so cool that somebody sees me and thinks badass fantasy adventure hero." The sincerity was evident in her voice, her face showing just as much excitement. But it faltered.<br/><br/>"I know I'm the one who told you to do this in the first place, submitting your work to the school paper, and I'm happy for you that you did. But had I known this is what you'd be handing in, I might have said differently. Everybody is kinda always watching my every move, and having a super insecure boyfriend doesn't really help much." She sighed. "It would really save me a lot of trouble if you just didn't write me into your stories so blatantly. Or at least not let those be the ones you post in the paper."