I feel like I accidentally ended up shipping Cleo and Stress together, but I swear I didn't-
This has a lot less Iskall in it, but it's pretty important for the story. It's kind of short, but I hope you enjoy!
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- Cleo POV -

I led my two new friends through the forest. They seemed quite quiet, and I didn't push them with any questions. I looked back, making sure they were okay and still following when I noticed Iskall's eye twitching. Confused, I asked, "Hey, we're almost there. Are you alright, Iskall? Is your eye bothering you?"

He looked me directly in the face and narrowed his eyes, his left eye twitching less as if he were trying to control it. "I'm fine. Let's just get there quickly so that we can get some rest." His voice was filled with poorly hidden annoyance and suspicious, but I chose to ignore it. Stress' grip on his shoulder tightened as she held back from scolding his disrespectful tone.

"Alright," I sighed, and continued onwards. Behind me, I heard Stress angrily whispering to her brother. We came upon what I call the 'Big Tree', and I felt around the base of the roots. The pair continued to whisper to themselves, and I ignored it as best I could, but I knew they were most likely talking about my trustworthiness. I finally found the entrance and exposed the hollowed-out area beneath to my cautious onlookers. "Here, you can stay in here if you'd like. I'll just... leave you be..." I tried not to let my voice show any hurt. I know they're just nervous, they've obviously been through a lot, but I can't help but feel upset by their lack of mistrust. I know I should probably just give them space for now, until they warm up to me.

"Uh, thanks. I guess," Stress said, but she didn't seem all that grateful. She slowly entered the small hole, while Iskall continued to watch me with suspicion. He quickly turned away, following after his sister. Just as he was about to enter, he cast me a quick confused glance before turning back.

I sighed, disappointed by our short interaction. I had kind of hoped they would be a little more friendly, but it was pretty obvious they weren't ready. I turned away, but just as I was about to head back to my cave, I heard the swish of leaves behind me and a few soft steps. I looked back slowly and saw Stress standing by the entrance of their new little hidey-hole. Confused, I took a few steps toward her. She nervously approached, avoiding eye contact, but I could tell her eyes showed her nervousness, fear, guilt, and sadness. "Uhm, I'm... so so-sorry about my brother. We-" her confession seemed forced, and she seemed full of mixed emotions.

"Hey, hey," I cut in, placing my hand gently on her shoulder. "It's alright. I can tell you two must have gone through a lot, and I understand if you don't trust me right away. We can ease into the friendliness over time. Right now, I'm just glad I'm not alone anymore. We may not have had the smoothest first meeting, but that's okay. I'm glad to have met you. Both of you. And I appreciate that, despite your mistrust, you're at least trying to be kind..." My voice trailed off as some old memories seemed to come flooding back. I focused on Stress' face. She looked into my eyes, and she genuinely smiled. For a moment, the sadness and worry left her gaze. Placing my other hand on her shoulder, I gave her a quick hug. "Now, go back to your brother. He seems like he's probably going to need you."

She reluctantly broke away from my arms, and the emotions returned to her eyes as she looked back. "Yeah..." She turned back to me with a soft, pitiful smile, and returned to the tree. The look on her face broke my heart. The pain she must've felt made me pity her, but I tried to push the feeling away.