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Odette bit her chapped lips, tearing off a piece of dead skin. Her face stung and her body hurt from the trek up Busthind, but she kept reassuring herself that it'd all be worth it. Her arms were heavy from carrying her jumbo version of herself. It wasn't exactly heavy, but it was awkward to carry. And even with a makeshift splint under her boots, her foot injury made it increasingly difficult to trudge through the snow. Surely the Busthind natives must have thought she was quite the show, carrying a giant plush image of herself around. She blushed thinking about it. She wasn't weird! She was doing a nice thing! If only they could understand.

Finally, after all her searching, she finally found her way to Aerona's hive. Or at least, what she hoped was Aerona's hive. The lights were on, by the looks of it, and Odette's blood-pusher skipped a beat. Eagerly, she approached the door with her plush in both her arms, nearly obscuring her view. Raising a fist, she knocked gingerly, not wanting to frighten Sophitia or Aerona. It would simply be terrible if they were too afraid to answer, after what had happened to Aerona the last time she saw her.

Waiting, Odette took a step back and adjusted her clothes, making sure she didn't look silly in her borrowed winter gear. After tucking a loose piece of hair back into her beanie, she wrapped both her arms around the doll and smiled politely.

Odette couldn't help but laugh as Sophitia came to the door. She had found the right house! And Aerona was alive and well. Words couldn't contain her excitement. She was positively giddy to see Aerona again.

Observing the taller teen approaching her, Odette felt something in her bile sack drop like a weight. How long had she taken to get here? Much too long, clearly. But the sinking feeling only last a moment, replaced with butterflies as Aerona enveloped her in a hug. Suddenly, Odette was giggling again, pressing their hug even tighter. She opened her mouth to speak, a hint of seriousness slipping in between her laughter. "I thought I'd never see you again," She explained.

"You're so big now," Odette said. She handed the doll to its rightful owner, her hand lingering over Aerona's. "You look beautiful," She cooed, squeezing her hand. Watching Aerona's face, there was no denying that. Her growing freckles were so endearing, and her smile was absolutely adorable. All of her unique features felt so deliberately cute, and Odette was blown away by it. Not to mention she had curves that Odette couldn't even dream of having. She tightened her lip, a light blush creeping onto her face.

"How have you been, Aerona?" Odette asked, finally taking a step back to peel off her snow-covered layers, revealing the plain black turtleneck she wore underneath. Removing her hat, she tussled her long hair, not bothering to put it up in such a comfortable environment. An awful thought crossed her mind, and she reached for Aerona's hands again.

"That bite... It's fully healed now, I hope," She worried. The guilt Odette felt for not stepping in was overwhelming. If it had lasting effects... Odette probably wouldn't know what to do with herself.

"I'm glad. I was so worried." Odette smiled. She could tell something was a bit odd with Aerona's behavior, but she couldn't place it and she definitely wouldn't press it. She smiled cheerfully at Aerona and Sophitia's banter. They were both so charming and loving with each other. Odette couldn't help but be a little jealous.

Odette moved slowly over to the smush-bean, trying her best to disguise her limp. She hadn't had many chances to see Vremea for a healing sessions. Nonetheless, she hoped Aerona wouldn't worry. She didn't want this reunion to be focused on her. She wanted to know what Aerona was doing. Surely the girl had lots of interesting stories to tell her.

Odette lowered herself carefully onto the bean-furniture, or well, as carefully as one could onto such a seat. They were sort of designed for a sloppier lounging, a piece of furniture that you could just flop onto. She used to have one of them herself, a long time ago. Back in the first hive she ever had. Sitting down in the mushy furniture brought back good memories. "Tea would be wonderful, Aerona," She remarked, shifting more comfortably in her seat.

Odette laughed, taking the "leaf water" in her hands and adjusting comfortably beside Aerona. Their proximity hardly had an affect on her, Odette was used to being comfortable physically with the scouts, and being near Aerona was no different. She leaned back into the seat, pondering Aerona's question. She couldn't talk about Didero and Ganyma, that was out of the question. Aside from that, though, nothing of particular note had happened to her since Bloodfest.

"I've been well," Odette said, a light smile on her lips. "Things haven't changed much since I last saw you. A date or two, here and there," She flushed, thinking back to the awkward altercation between Tamiya and Eostre. She fiddled with the mug in her hand, tracing the bottom with her pinky. "Nothing huge," She said, glancing back to Aerona.

"What about you? Surely, you've got some interesting stories," She asked, certain in her mind that the girl had some adventures under her belt now that she was big enough to be without her lusus. Odette turned towards Aerona, propping herself up by her elbow and smiling gently. She waited eagerly for her response.

"Nooo!" Odette whined under her breath, turning her red face away from Aerona. If her hands weren't occupied, she'd have used them both to hide her face. "I'm an absolute mess with quadrants," She explained, swirling the mug of tea. "I'm the worst. By no means a role model." Coyly, she turned to face Aerona with a light, embarrassed smile.

"But if you really want to know..." Odette's smile upturned into a bit of a smirk. She'd indulge Aerona a bit, after all, what was the harm? Her romantic life didn't have to be kept secret, after all. No one was going to get hurt if she spilled the beans about the last person she kissed. She nuzzled in comfortably, resting her head on Aerona's.

"I guess I've had two dates since bloodfest," Odette paused, remembering what Aerona asked before. "Pity dates," She specified, "I've got a moirail, and I've never been one to delve much into kismessitude. Never been competitive enough, I suppose." The closest she had ever come to hating someone like that had been Zeffer, she supposed, wrinkling her nose at the thought.

"One date was with a neighbor, which was alright I guess," Odette pondered, trying to remember the details. There wasn't much to remember, now that Odette thought about it. "Just comestibles and a moving picture. We didn't really talk much, now that I think about it."

Odette prepared herself before bringing up the other date, playing with her sleeve. "The other one was actually my first crush," She said, bile sack aflutter with mixed emotions. "I don't know how to feel about her, to be honest... It was such a long time ago when I fell for her." Odette laughed, looking down at Aerona.

"Like, a long, long time ago. Waaay before you hatched, probably," The redblood laughed again, bringing her tea up to blow on the contents. She smirked at her friend. "I'm a lot older than I look, Aerona, let's just say that."

Odette took a long pause from her joke, remembering the seriousness of her messy, emotional love life. "I can't help but feel we grew apart. Or, that I grew apart from her, and that she just grew more fond of me. Either way I can't help but feel nervous around her, and not in a good way." She frowned, having a hard time finding the right words to tell Aerona.

"It's like... I feel the need to pretend that nothing's changed. But I don't want to go back to who I was then, when I was weak and afraid of everything." Odette drew her knees in, falling silent as she tried to keep back her tears. She lowered her voice to a mumble. "How can I enjoy a relationship with someone who makes me feel so scared?" The redblood reached up, wiping her tears before they ruined her makeup. She was silent for a moment, remembering where she was.

"Oh, gog, this has gone on for too long," Odette said, embarrassed that she had gone on like she had. How rude of her. "See, what did I tell you? I'm a mess," She apologized. Her face went hot and she diverted her eye contact from Aerona, hoping the conversation would redirect itself.

Odette's eyes filled with tears, face scrunching together in a desperate attempt the them from falling, to keep herself looking like a figure of strength before Aerona. The poor girl. She deserved none of this. Odette, she had gotten herself into her own mess with Eostre. She even partially blamed herself for what happened with Tamiya. But Aerona? She knew Aerona couldn't be held back like this. She pulled the younger redblood into a hug.

"I'm so sorry," she said, voice barely louder than a whisper. "I knew I should have stepped in and done something. I should have protected you from this." Odette pulled back, caressing Aerona's cheek with her hand. "I got myself into my own messes. I actually enjoy fancy highblood living, most of the time." She smiled sadly at the freckled girl, thumb stroking her cheekbone softly.

"Don't even bother with them, Aerona," She explained, "You'll be miserable putting up with it." Odette leaned in closer, pressing their foreheads together. She smiled genuinely now, the semblance of a smirk almost crossing her lips. "If there's one thing I know about you, it's that you can't be held back," She spoke confidently and fluently, leaning back once she had finished her word.

"Get out of it if you can," Odette suggested, "As soon as you can." The redblood took a sip of her tea. After all of that drama, she was certain it was ready. "If you need my help, I'm more than willing." She looked at Aerona again, a playfulness returning to her face. "I'm stronger than I look, too," She said, hoping the joke would quell the serious tension in the air.

Odette giggled again at Aerona's excitement. She'd see her in action in due time... On Alternia it was only a matter of time before you found yourself in another scramble. If the moon scouts ever got together for some vigilante justice, she'd be sure to invite Aerona, even if it was just to watch. Then again, she was bigger now. She looked capable of putting up a good fight.

"That depends," Odette answered in response to Aerona's question about breaking and entering. "It can be tough to break into an underwater hive. We'll find a way, though." Though her tone was joking, she shot Aerona a look that reminded her that she was completely serious. No one was going to touch a hair on her head if she had anything to do with it.

Odette continued to fidget with her mug, the tension in the air quickly becoming too much to bear for her. Aerona would make an excellent addition to the Initiative, she realized. She was old enough to fight, to protect herself without her lusus. Still, Odette had a hard time opening up to the idea. She couldn't bear the idea of Aerona getting hurt on her behalf.

Still, she was the Head of External Affairs, for gog's sake! It was partly her job to work with recruiting, to pick out those trustworthy to join their cause. The Initiative was on its last legs, and they needed all the help they could get. Aerona was probably the most trustworthy troll she'd find in their recruiting.

"Sophitia is going to be so cross with me," Odette mumbled to herself, and then turned suddenly to face Aerona. She paused for a moment, carefully studying Aerona's face. Her eyes darted around quickly, shifting to check windows and corners, assuring their privacy. She beckoned Aerona closer, and whispered to her quickly and curtly.

"Have you heard of the Phoenix Initiative?"