Ivan didn't flinch. He met Marcus's gaze, his own expression cold and determined.
"Marcus," he said, his voice quiet but carrying immense weight. "This is my camp." He took a step forward, closing the distance between them until they were face to face. "And just because I let you borrow it doesn't mean it's yours now."
Marcus scoffed, a humorless laugh. "Ivan, you left. You abandoned your friend. I took care of him, and I took care of this spot."
"Really now?" Ivan replied, a sarcastic edge to his voice. "Gaslighting everything to make me seem like the bad person, hm?" He looked past Marcus towards the fire in the cave. "Alright, take us as guests then. Cook some fish for us, Mr. Owner of the Camp."
The mockery hit its mark. Marcus's face darkened. "What do you want, Ivan? Unless you give me a very good reason, you aren't welcome here. And I may be the one eliminating you, especially since you brought unwelcome company." His eyes flickered towards Jomana and Lyraena.
"There's a bear beast out there," Ivan said simply.
Marcus's smirk faltered. A dog beast was one thing. A bear beast was something else entirely.
"Are you sure you saw that, Princess?" he asked, trying to regain his footing.
"What do you think? I came here because I miss you?"
That was it. Marcus snapped. He grabbed Ivan by the collar, his knuckles white. "I'm not playing with you, Ivan. Even if there's a bear beast out there, right now, I'm your biggest problem. Now again," he snarled, his face inches from Ivan's, "are you sure you saw that?"
"Yes," Ivan said, his voice steady despite the hand twisting his shirt. "I saw it with Leo. And I heard it roaring with Jomana and Kalvin."
Marcus stared into his eyes, searching for a lie. Finding none, he shoved Ivan back roughly. "Alright," he conceded, his voice a low growl. "If it's about the bear, we need people. Even useless people like you can be of use now." He took a step back towards the cave, then turned. "You are welcome to stay. IN MY FUCKING CAMP."
He stormed off into the cave.
Ivan straightened his shirt and turned to his group with a wry smile. "Yo guys, make yourselves comfortable. Marcus is a hospitable man."
They moved closer to the cave and started setting up their few tents. Three small tents for six people. How amazing.
Ivan stood away from the group, watching the new, tense dynamic unfold, when Orion approached him.
"Yo, man," Orion said, relief clear on his face. "You're... safe."
"Yeah. And you," Ivan replied, his eyes scanning the well-organized camp. "You merged with Marcus's group very well, hm?"
"Yeah," Orion admitted. "They're pretty efficient to work with."
Ivan's expression turned serious. "Orion, it's a serious question... are we now 6+6, or are we 7+5?"
Orion looked confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"
"If something happens," Ivan clarified, his voice low. "A fight. A disagreement. Is it safe to consider you on our side?"
Orion fell silent, the weight of the question hitting him. He looked from Ivan to the Marcus's group, the people who had taken him in. "You're my best friend," he said finally, his voice full of conflict. "But your group... I barely know them. I don't know, man."
"Alright," Ivan said, his face unreadable. "We'll see that later. I also hope nothing will happen."
He started to walk away, but Orion called out. "Hey, wait."
"Hm?"
A small, teasing smile returned to Orion's face. "So... how does it feel to camp with your crush?"
Ivan's face immediately went red. "S-shut up! There's a beast out there! There's no time for this stuff!"
"Who are you fooling?" Orion laughed.
Ivan, now a shade of crimson, just looked away and walked quickly toward the fire, sitting down to escape the conversation.
---
Later, as the two groups sat around the fire, a tense silence hanging between them while they ate grilled fish, Jomana sat away from the main group, eating alone. Romana, seeing her opportunity, walked over.
"Hello, cousin," she said with a sweet, poisonous smile.
Jomana didn't answer. She didn't even look up. She just kept eating her food silently.
Romana sat down close to her, uninvited. "Hm. I couldn't believe it when I saw you. I mean, we all know how much you hate me. It was a surprise when you actually came with the others."
Jomana remained silent, her jaw tight.
"Hm? So, Prince Ivan really has some influence on you, huh?" Romana continued, her voice dripping with condescension. "Not even my uncle was able to convince you to meet me and talk to me again, yet here you are."
It wasn't Jomana who snapped.
"You are annoying."
Lyraena was suddenly there, standing over them. She kicked out, not at Jomana, but at Romana. Romana, surprisingly fast, threw up an arm and guarded the kick, the impact making a dull thud.
"Are you a damn parrot now?" Lyraena asked, her eyes cold. "I'm not used to you talking this much."
The camp exploded into motion. David, one of Marcus's loyal friends, was about to jump to his feet to defend Romana.
But a quiet voice cut through the air, sharp and cold as ice.
"Sit back down."
It was Ivan. He was looking directly at David, his gaze piercing and heavy with command.