Divine Enmity (Catnipz)

XVIII. Fragrant Confrontation.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Haerin commented with a dreamy smile, admiring the orange reflections of the sun on the water.

Danielle nodded. "Yes, days like this almost make up for having to endure your craziness."

Haerin nudged her playfully. "Oh, come on, admit that even though you complain, deep down you enjoy them and love me."

"Sure, if almost dying is fun for you," Danielle replied, rolling her eyes. "And as for loving you, I'm still considering it."

"Hey!"

Both of them burst into laughter.

Haerin and Danielle continued walking along the lake shore, enjoying the tranquility of the sunset when suddenly they spotted Yuna sitting on a rock near the water. She was hunched over something, looking very focused.

"Yuna!" called Haerin, approaching her with Danielle.

The girl looked up and greeted them with a smile. On her lap was a small portable worktable with various jars and a mortar.

"Hey, girls, how was the exploration?" she asked, glancing at Danielle's scratches.

"A disaster, as always when I let this crazy one convince me," replied Danielle, shooting a glare at Haerin.

Haerin shrugged with a carefree smile. "What are you doing?" she asked, sitting on the rock next to Yuna.

"I'm preparing some new perfumes," Yuna replied excitedly, showing them a small glass bottle with a pink liquid. "This one has a wild strawberry scent; I just finished it."

One of the favorite pastimes of every child of Aphrodite was creating new perfumes and fragrances with materials found in nature, which is why their cabin always smelled so strong. The sweet scent wafting from their rooms was thanks to Wonyoung, who always kept Yuna's bottles open and scattered around the cabin.

Danielle also sat down and curiously observed the ingredients on the table, recognizing some flowers and aromatic herbs.

"Do you come here to prepare your perfumes?" she asked.

Yuna nodded. "I like the tranquility and the sunset light. It helps with concentration."

At that moment, a bit further along the shore, a group of Aphrodite cabin boys was also preparing bottles and mixing ingredients. They exchanged jokes and laughter from time to time.

A little apart from them, Minji and Ryujin sat with other campers, chatting animatedly. Occasionally, the two friends glanced towards Haerin, Danielle, and Yuna.

Haerin tried to ignore Minji, pretending she wasn't following her movements from a distance and that she wasn't paying attention to her.

Yuna uncorked the bottle with the strawberry perfume and brought it closer for Haerin and Danielle to smell. A delightful aroma of wild berries filled their nostrils.

"It smells amazing, Yu," praised Haerin, smiling pleased. "You've made me crave strawberries now."

"Thanks, I've been experimenting with new combinations," Yuna replied, clearly proud of her creation.

Danielle also sniffed the bottle deeply. "It's a really delicious blend."

Yuna blushed at the compliments and played with the bottle in her hands. "If you want, I can prepare some for you."

"I would love that," Haerin responded immediately. "Someday, I'll learn to make them."

Yuna glanced at her sideways. "I think you're better off sticking with the sword, Haerin. If you started mixing scents, we'd end up intoxicated."