Episode Four, Part 1:
Imitate

Before Wynn even had a chance to answer Sol's question, she grabbed onto his arm and pulled him over to the doorway. 

"Go, Wynn. You shouldn't be here."

Already met with the familiar feeling of annoyance he associated with her, Wynn pulled his arm free, straightening up his sleeves. "Your father welcomed me in, for the record."

"Well, I'm telling you to go."

"Relax. You're not Sovereign yet, Sol."

She stepped closer, a harsh glare fixed on him. She was now blocking his way; now preventing Wynn from moving further into the room. 

"I told you to stop calling me that."

"Which one?" Wynn challenged. "Sovereign? Or Sol?" He smirked, clearly amused with himself, but not yet aware of what extents Sol would go to, to put him in his place. In retaliation, she grabbed him by the collar, her forearm pressed against his neck which restricted the air from reaching his lungs.

At the noticeable conflict between the two, the other people in the room immediately rushed over. Eryx was there first, joined by Aeryn, Kodiak, and a couple of other people Wynn had never seen before. After a few moments Sol was pulled away by her father, and Aeryn was already there at Wynn's side, trying her best to remind Wynn how to breathe. 

Despite the commotion in the room, Wynn kept his eyes on Sol as she stood in the corner with Eryx - who was attempting to calm her down. The more he focused on what he was saying to her, the more he was sure of his words. 

"Sol, you can't jeopardize my plan. We need him." 

At his words, Sol glanced over at Wynn - the two of them sharing a moment filled with so many undetected emotions, but Wynn wasn't anywhere near as scared as he knew Sol was expecting him to be. 

"How's your throat? Does it hurt to breathe? Are you alright?" Aeryn asked, slowly steering Wynn's attention towards her. 

"I haven't been since I came here..." He muttered, not having thought twice before he spoke. "Aeryn, I'm sorry," he apologized, suddenly heavy-hearted. He knew it wasn't her fault and the last thing he wanted was the drag his anger for Sol onto anybody else. 

"Hey, I get it," she assured him, squeezing onto his shoulder reassuringly. "I'll be on your side if you need someone." 

Some of the weight on Wynn's shoulders seemed to drop and an ease returned to his chest, allowing him to breathe again. "Thank you." 

"No problem," Aeryn smiled. "And don't worry about Riverly; she'll warm up to you soon enough." 

"Ha. You believe that?" Wynn asked, noticing how Aeryn's presence had calmed him down. 

"Just give her a little while. This is a stressful time for her." 

Wynn looked down at his hands and sighed subconsciously. How could people not fathom what he was feeling? Was it that hard to imagine? 

"Wynn, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that to sound so...inconsiderate. Believe me, I know what you're going through is beyond what any of us can understand." 

He took a few moments to let the relief wash through him; it was something he hadn't felt in days, so he was trying his best to savor it. "You know," he began, "I think you're the first person here that's actually considered how I might be feeling about everything." 

Aeryn smiled fondly at him. "Now, are you okay, or do I need to take you back to the medic tent? Then again," she teased, "you turn up there so often that I'm starting to wonder if that's exactly what you want." 

Laughing along, Wynn replied, "No, I'm good. I'm alright, thank you," but what she had said earlier about Sol wouldn't leave his mind. "...You really think she'll come around?"

She tilted her head, following Wynn's gaze over to Sol - whose attention seemed to be individually demanded by everyone in the room. 

"If it was anyone else? No. Probably not," she said. "But she did save your life out there the other night, and she probably wouldn't have done that for every idiot who took it upon himself to head out into the forest late at night - especially an idiot who hasn't had any training." 

"Okay, that's fair," Wynn laughed. 

"I'm sure there's a reason she wants you here and because of that, I think she'll tolerate you just a little more than any of us are expecting." 

Wynn forced a smile, trying to convince himself that Aeryn's answer was enough for him. His relationship with Sol was exhausting and he had only known her for a short amount of time. Yet he knew he could teach her things that he needed to know: how to survive; how to find other Clans. 

As much as he hated to admit it, he needed Sol, too... 

Four // Part One
She'll warm up to you.