Emberlynn Knight

It seemed her cry had not gone unanswered, as another figure came rushing in her direction. Unfortunately, it was another figure clad in red. Seriously!?! Her mind and heart raced. Four against one!?! No amount of newfound confidence or breakthroughs with her ability could have prepared her for this sort of scenario. Though, she supposed, it wasn't entirely unexpected. She was behind enemy lines after all. Still, last year each flag had been defended by one, maybe two campers? Many of the cabins had gained members this year though, so maybe she should have seen this coming... Ember was torn between frustration with the unfairness of the situation and kicking herself for not coming in more prepared.

Of course there was little time to dwell on her internal conflict. Enemies surrounded her on all sides. Her pulse quickened, and her heart felt about to pound through her chest. She hadn't the brainpower to dim her light now as the panic began to take over. The prismatic light surrounding her pules wildly, as though she were a bomb about to explode. Any more pressure and there was no telling what would happen. She looked about wildly from one opponent to the next. There had to be an opening somewhere...anywhere... she lunged recklessly toward her goal.

"Sage!" Emberlynn yelped. "Over there!"

This time the leaves were moving. Low to the ground too... probably too low to be another camper. Unless it was a much younger child, or someone crouching very low. Surely they wouldn't be able to see much from that vantage point though, would they? Unless they were actively trying to trick her? But that seemed crazy.

"H-hello...?" She approached slowly, her voice trembling a bit. If it really was a rabbit or something, she was going to be thoroughly embarrassed. She slowly crept closer to the source of the noise, motioning behind her for sage to follow. Careful... careful now... She reached out to poke the moving leaves with the end of her blade...

"Who goes there!?!" Emberlynn called out to the maybe-but-maybe-not-empty foliage. Another rustle among the branches. Something was out there. Well, someone, she hoped. If it was, in fact, something then she felt much less equipped to deal with the situation. Of course, it did provide some comfort that Sage was here with her. Whatever was there lurking, surely the child of Athena would have some plan for dealing with him. Or her. Or them. Or... gulp... it...

Ember breathed, trying to sound far more menacing than any teenage girl had a right to sound. "I repeat! Who goes there!?!" She held her breath, hoping and praying for a human response.

"Sorry friend, you just seemed a bit preoccupied-" Emberlynn continued, but a soft sound from the bushes brought her words to a halt. It was a rustling noise. The wind perhaps, or maybe a small animal? But during an event like this, every small noise set her on edge. Every small rustle could be an enemy lurking behind the trees. Or worse - a monster. Her form hunched a bit into a defensive position, her hand migrating toward her weapon.

She shot Sage a look as if to say Did you hear that? Sure it could be nothing. But what if it wasn't?

Emberlynn's hand was about to wrap around the flag when it was struck by something. Another of the small child's rocks probably. Whatever it was, it forced to to withdraw her arm. Suddenly, her eyes widened with shock. The hand she had pulled back was covered in a viscous red liquid. Blood! She thought, scrambling backward in a panic. I'm bleeding! She was already reaching into her pack for some bandages by the time she realized that her hand didn't actually hurt all that badly. Surely a wound that caused that much blood would be causing a lot more pain. Perhaps it was the adrenaline of the fight that was keeping her going. Or perhaps... perhaps it was paint.

She blinked, a bit embarrassed with herself. The arts-and-crafts queen should not have taken so long to recognize the consistency of red paint. Still, the strike was rather unexpected. Had the boy brought paintballs along with his rocks? That made no sense though. Even with her rudimentary sense of tactics, she could tell that the trajectory would have been near impossible. But that meant something far worse... a third attacker. She looked around wildly, finally spotting the girl with the bow.

Oh... fiddlesticks... Even in her own mid, the little girl wasn't prone to cursing. Three against one though... if there were ever a time for uncouth language, it would be now. "Some backup would be very much appreciated!" She spoke into the ether, doubting any teammate was around to hear. She made another (likely futile) pass at the flag, praying that someone, anyone would come to aid.

Emberlynn was on defense this time around, which suited her just fine. Her last foray into the other side had earned her a few bruises to say the least. Here on her own side though, there was a certain sense of safety behind there own lines. Perhaps it was this security that caused her to miss the shadow of Park Shi Jin as she walked up to the flag. Unaware of her lurking adversary, she called out to her fellow defender.

"Sage!" she exclaimed. "How wonderful to see you!" Sage had recently helped Emberlynn with her training, for which the rainbow haired girl was eternally grateful. The blonde had a good head on her shoulders, and the blue team was lucky to have her. However, she did seem a bit distracted at the moment. Ember waited a moment for a response. When she got none, she tapped her on the shoulder. "Greetings? Ground control to Major Sage?"

It... it worked!

Her powers had actually done exactly what she asked of them, and in the heat of battle no less! This was actually quite the breakthrough for young Emberlynn, who had spent much of the preceding months trying to understand and hone her ability. Now, in the thick of things, she was startled by how easily it came to her. Unfortunately, that realization had distracted her from her goal. She lost her chance to take advantage of blinding the Ares kid, proven by a sudden blow to her lower legs. "Take this, rainbow lights."

"You missed-" she began, collapsing momentarily to the ground. The strike had not, in fact, missed. Nor was it what she was referring to. She managed to fall forward rather than landing on her bottom. There she crouched for a moment, shifting sideways to dodge another throw. "Pity... you missed the opportunity for a Rainbow Brite reference." Of course, she doubted any Ares camper would be caught dead watching Rainbow Brite. Actually, she realized, it had been over a year now since she herself had been able to watch cartoons. The joke would no doubt fall on deaf ears. Still she grinned up at him, content to have at least amused herself for the moment. Then she reached out directly between her attackers legs. She hoped to catch the flag in her grasp.

Plink!

A rock struck the side of Emberlynn's head, thankfully deflected by old helmet. Thanks again, TJ. It wasn't the first time that gift had saved her from immense pain. Heck, it wasn't even the first time it had aided her in capture-the-flag. The little boy was laughing now, seemingly thrilled that his projectiles had found their mark. "WAAAARRR!" Honestly, it was kind of adorable. Even Ember herself might have found his childlike enthusiasm endearing. That was, if he hadn't been chucking stones at her face of course.

The odds weren't looking good for her here. She blocked another projectile with the flat of her sword. Between the hail of stones and the imposing presence of the Ares boy, it was beginning to look like she was in over her head. Emberlynn stepped back, dodging the older campers sword. She held out her hand as though to block the next strike with her bare hand. With a silent prayer, she felt the warmth of her powers rise up within her. In a moment she let it go, letting out a quick flash from her palm in hopes to momentarily blind her opponent.

""AHHHHH" Emberlynn responded in kind, though her exclamation was more one of panic than a battle cry. Instinctively her skin began glowing. The shimmering, multicolored light illuminated the forest for a moment. Crap! She thought, willing the light to die down. Way to attract the whole red team, Ember! Startled as she was though, she certainly wasn't about to give up. Two against one wasn't ideal. But if she'd take on a full grown combat instructor the previous year, then she could do this too...probably...

Ember paused for a moment, weighing her options. Then she grinned. "War it is then, sir!" She charged in low and fast, preparing to deflect a counterattack should the need arise. She'd see how well those combat classes had served her.

"Ack!"

Emberlynn let out a small squeak as a stone landed at her feet, seemingly from nowhere. She spun around, eyes darting from bush to bush. Her hand clenched tighter around her sword. "Who goes there!?" She meant to sound confident, but her voice wavered. Who was it? A red team member? Or a monster? Finally her eyes fell on the source of the attack. A boy, quite young even by camp standards. He must've been discovered by the satyrs fairly early on in life. Seeing him standing there with slingshot in hand, her blade lowered.

"My apologies," she stated. Emberlynn was nowhere cruel enough to strike at a slingshot-wielding child with an actual blade. "I had thought you may be a monster!" She smiled a friendly smile, but still moved slowly toward the flag, hoping to make a run with it. 

It was capture the flag time again! The previous year had been a whirlwind for Emberlynn - darting from flag to flag, getting into verbal bouts with Sir Azrael in which she felt much cooler than she probably sounded... But this year, a slightly different child was stepping out onto the field. A more developed, more confident character. Having gotten to know some of the other campers, her sense of teamwork was at a much more stable place than it had been during the previous event. She adjusted her helmet, a gift from her friend TJ. She'd grown quickly in physical stature as well, she realized. Last year this helmet had sat large and awkward on her head. Now it barely concealed her multicolored hair from view.

She set out toward the Western part of the woods, hand clasped tightly around the hilt of her sword.  Ever since the scorpion attack, the open forest made her a bit uneasy. One could never really tell what was lurking in these bushes. Speaking of... a flash of red caught her eye. She drew her blade, prepared for an assault by one of her red-cloaked adversaries. But the fabric was not a uniform, nor a helmet plume. It was a flag! The flag! Emberlynn couldn't believe her luck! She rushed in to make a pass at it, perhaps a bit reckless with her first charge of the game.

Looking at Petal's face now, Emberlynn felt a pang of guilt. She'd known that abilities were a rare occurrence, but the way they had been talking... it seemed she'd gotten overeager. She'd really hoped that she'd have someone to practice with and share in her experiences. But thinking now, there had never been any guarantee. Petal may well have goddess-given powers, but there was a chance that they didn't even work the same way that Emberlynn's did. She masked the mixture of self-shame and disappointment with a smile. "I apologize, Petal," she admitted, her voice softer and a bit less boisterous than normal. "I may not be the best teacher when it comes to these things. I'm quite new to all of this myself. I hadn't meant to become so overexcited."

She turned back to their painting and began to fill in the other half of her green-haired minotaur. Even if they wouldn't be training partners with their magic, she was still quite pleased to have a sister. She loved Petal's ideas, and the way their minds worked so similarly. Her brush moved in to paint a yellow and pink tree next to one of petal's bright purple and green ones. The brushstrokes differed of course, made by different hands, but they together the picture they were making was brilliant. Ember's eyes moved from her part of the canvas to Petal's, then back to hers... then went wide. She jumped to her feet. "Oh, of course!"

"Petal, look!" she motioned to their artwork, accidentally splattering a bit of paint on herself in the process. But whatever she had realized had made her so excited that she failed to notice. "Look at our trees! They're both colorful and wonderful, but they're different too!" Her smile widened. "What if you're correct in your assumption that your ability is something different. Surely people as eclectic as ourselves would have unique abilities too, wouldn't we? So perhaps using the powers my way is the issue. You've just got to find your way." Of course, such a thing would take time. But the thought of finding their own connections made her just as eager to work together as she had initially been. "It might be something like what I do, or something entirely unique. But that's the thrilling part isn't it!? Like - like finding your creative spark when we're painting! Oh, don't be disheartened, sister... Mother is looking out for the both of us, I'm certain of it!" 

Emberlynn's excitement rose while Petal described her experience with the dog. It wasn't exactly like her experience with the scorpion, but it was close... close enough, perhaps? It definitely showed that their celestial mother was looking out for the both of them. Maybe... she thought. Just maybe... In her mind, she was already picturing the two of them learning together. Using their gifts side by side, teaching each other whatever new discoveries they made. Surely she could learn much faster that way. Social creature that Emberlynn was, she wasn't particularly eager to have an ability just for her. She would much rather share such a thing with her newfound sibling. And now that they were talking, it seemed for the first time that may be a real possibility.

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "I would be thrilled to assist!"

But... how? The young girl had very little experience with her abilities, and she wasn't entirely certain how to describe it. She thought of her recent encounter with Sage and Axel, and the things she had learned about her powers through that experience. "It won't work if you focus too intensely on it," she explained. "I struggled with that quite a bit recently - putting in far too much personal strain. When it works for me, it seems to operate more like a prayer. Think of what you want the light to do, and trust that mother will understand and offer her guidance. That's what's worked for me so far at any rate."

She reached out to take Petal's hands. "Think about those times mother's power has revealed herself to us... scaring off that dog, for instance. Dwell on it a moment, then let it go. Trust that it will work, and it will! Maybe." She hoped she was explaining things right, as she'd only just learned these stipulations herself. It wasn't even clear if that was entirely accurate. But it had worked for her so far, and she truly hoped it would work for her sibling in turn. That was- if she was naturally inclined to the same divine gifts of course. Ember really, really hoped she would be. 

"I... I suppose I could try..." Ember's smile faltered. She'd been hoping her older sibling might teach her a thing or two about Iris's gifts, but it turned out Petal knew even less about them than she did. But it broadened again as a new possibility dawned on her. She'd heard that not every demigod had an ability, not even those who shared a house. While they were all blessed with superhuman survival abilities and many with the occasional assistance of their deific parents, special magics like those she wielded were rare even among her kind. Petal, however, could very well be different. The way she had described her connection to the goddess had struck a chord with Emberlynn. The younger girl had experienced many of those same feelings growing up. If anyone she knew was going to share her ability, she had a feeling it could be her sister. And if she did indeed share in those powers, perhaps the two of them could work on developing them together. Oh, how wonderful that would be!

"I must admit though, I'm rather new to it myself. It started when I was attacked by a scorpion in the forest - horrid little creatures, those scorpions." She shuddered. "Little" wasn't exactly an apt descriptor either. It had been about thrice the size of the preteen camper. "Well, horrid large creatures." She corrected herself. "Thanks the gods MK - ah, she's one of the older campers - she came to my rescue. A genuine knight in bronze armor, that woman. Yet even with her help, the fiend had nearly bested us. That's when it happened!" Her gestures illustrated the story as she spoke, her face lighting with animation. Her paintbrush lay forgotten next to the canvas. "This blinding flash of light came down from the sky! Initially I thought it to be lightning. Until I noticed there was no smoke or scorch marks that is. I had this warm feeling all over, like something hotter than blood was coursing through my veins."

Emberlynn closed her eyes for a moment. She focused on conjuring that warm feeling until she felt it spread from her core to her fingertips. A shimmering, prismatic light surrounded her hands, which she then raised to show Petal. "That feeling you were taking about - that connection to mom... it feel like that... just a thousand times more potent." Displaying her ability was simple enough now that she'd identified that feeling as the source of her powers. Controlling and shaping it, however... that part still needed a lot of practice. "I cannot make big flashes like that first one on a whim though. Not at present, anyway. But I've been working quite hard to develop it."

"Have you ever had anything like that happen?" she inquired. "Has mother ever intervened to save you or give you something you truly, desperately desired?"

Sage's words seemed to have gotten through to Axel, as he had stopped lashing out at Emberlynn for a moment. Her heart still felt as though it would pound out of her chest, but she steadied herself and took a breath. Control.  That sounded right. Axel wasn't the only one who needed control. Though his remark about taking things too far did make her uneasy. She focused her vision on the blonde girl. She looked and spoke with such tactical confidence. This was a child of Athena alright. Perhaps with her help, if Ember was able to keep a good head on her shoulders... Yes. They could do this.

"Sage! It's working!"

It... it is?!?

Emberlynn turn her attention to the source of the claim. Axel had been calling out. That strangely mixed expression was gone from his face, replaced with one of shock and interest. She spun round again, looking from one attacker to another. Was Sage doing something? What was Axel so mesmerized with. Flustered as she was, it took the girl a moment to realize that he wasn't looking past her to view his teammate. He was looking directly at her. Ember finally looked at her own hands and immediately saw what all the fuss was about. A shimmering, rainbow light was surrounding her entire body. Iris had answered her prayers.

She took advantage of the moment she'd been given, thinking over just what she wanted to do with this gift of light. There were two of them, and only one of her. But knowing her mother's power was with her gave her a sudden burst of confidence. Bracing herself, she looked to Sage. "Ready."

"So they are real then! Oh, what a wonderful experience to have!" Emberlynn's purple eyes sparkled with wonder and delight. As a child, they'd been her first indication that there was magic in the world. Although her adoptive parents swore up and down that they "didn't know why they'd bought her those contacts", she knew they were no such thing. She'd longed for her eyes to look that way - like the amethyst eyes of her favorite warrior princess cartoon - and somehow her wish had made it so. Had it not been for that constant reminder, she mihgt have thought herself crazy. Plenty of others certainly did. The endearing insanity of a child trying to discover themselves...No, she'd been right all along. It was magic, real magic. And now, meeting a sister who thought like her, a sense of home that she hadn't felt for a while washed over her. "You're lucky," she joked. "My experience with magical creatures has fallen disticlty in the 'run for your life' category so far. How I'd love to meet a faerie!"

Emberlynn paused mid stroke to think on Petal's question, so for a moment only half of a minotaur with a lime green mowhawk stood chopping trees for the log cabin. "Sure, there's been a few occasions. Thinking on hit, she must've been the one to grant my childhood wish of having purple eyes. And sometimes when I was feeling rather melocholy, I'd see a rainbow and - Well of course! Every time I use my-" Ember paused. Did Petal know about her ability? Was it something she could do too? The girl hadn't exactly been hiding it, but it wasn't so well developed that she was showing it off around camp either. Though with some help from Sage (and Axel, though she loathed to admit that part) it had definitely improved. She cupped her hands in front of her and offered up a silent prayer, one of longing to include her sister in her excitement. A small orb of purple light formed in her hands. Ember clasped it, pressing in as though molding clay. When she lowered her hands again, a small crytalline heart floated there above them. It still looked a bit fuzzy, like it she were to touch it her hand would pass right through. And to be fair, it definitely would. BUt it had come quite a ways toward looking like a solid object. The purple crystal heart twinked, still emitting that soft purple glow. "My ability." A sudden excitement rose in her. Petal was older. If she too had these powers, maybe she could teach her to better utilize them! "Do you have them too? The strange powers?"

So apparently Sage had meant for this to happen. Or something along these lines anyway. It wasn't entirely a bad idea - logically it made quite a bit of sense. Still, they could have given her a moment to collect her thoughts. And Axel certainly didn't need to take so much enjoyment in it. Well, actually... Ember couldn't really tell how Axel was feeling about it. Which was quite odd, considering her ability to read people was among her most prized and well-developed talents. But that face he was making was one she certainly hadn't seen before. Quite frankly, she wasn't even sure it was a human expression. It looked like every human emotion had been boiled in a vat and then splashed violently across his face.

Speaking of violent. Emberlynn yelped pathetically as the stick bore down again. This time it struck her left arm, leaving a red scratch that might've drawn blood had the weapon been any sharper.  "I wasn't gonna hurt her." He complained. Really now? she thought. Well you certainly could have fooled me. She really didn't like the look in his eyes. She leaned back, narrowly avoiding another strike. "And uh... if I'm going to far..."

"If you're going too far what!?" Ember managed to squeak out. How exactly was she meant  to stop this madman? Her ability of course, but... how... she glanced behind her, wondering if Sage would indeed make a move to block her exit. Axel stepped in closer.

Gods what do I do... Mom... help...

She was so focused on coming up with a way out, she hadn't yet noticed her skin had begun to glow.

"It's certainly exciting!" Emberlynn laughed. Petal spoke with an infectious excitement, one that Ember herself had long been known for. It was funny really... they had only just met these past few months at camp. Yet she already felt more like a sister than any of her adoptive family members. Perhaps their truly was something to be said of genetic nature. Or did that only apply to demigods? Either way, it was extremely refreshing. Between longing for her friend and struggling her newfound abilities, Ember hadn't felt that sense of family in what seemed like forever. Sitting here with her half-sister, she was beginning to feel like her old self again.

"I didn't think telepathy was among our potential abilities," she joked. A rapidly spinning rainbow was just about the best description she'd ever heard of how the mind worked. "But you seem to be looking inside of my brain!' She absolutely loved the idea of making something crazy and colorful. A picture of a forest came to mind and began to flesh itself out as Petal described her ideas. Her brush, no longer hindered, began to dance across the canvas. A purple tree here... another red... another blue... Neon buildings, eh? "How about a cabin? Oh! Or a giant mushroom house for forest creatures to live! Or both - a log cabin with little mushroom houses for little faeries sprouting out from the foundation! Do you think they're real? Faeries, I mean. I suppose if sirens and satyrs exists then possibly... I guess they aren't Greek though so perhaps not..."

As it usually did, her excitement was getting the better of her. She was beginning to get off topic. "Go on!" She urged, motioning toward the canvas where a cacophony of multicolored nature was beginning to form. "Grab a brush!" 

And just like that, her prayers were answered. Maybe the gods were listening after all. "Oh, hello!" Emberlynn cheerfully greeted the new arrival. "It's Petal, isn't it?"

The girl instantly recognized her newfound half-sister from the claiming. She'd been estatic when Iris had claimed another child at the bonfire - quite frankly Ember had begun to feel like she'd be alone in the cabin forever. Yet up until now, she hadn't actually gotten the opportunity it interact with Petal. Suddenly the empty tent felt like less of a tradgedy and more of an opportunity. It gave them space to get to know wach other!

"I certainly could - use the company that is!" The gril grinned, tossing her multicolored hair over one shoulder. "I simply haven't a clue what to work on today. Or perhaps I should say I have too many clues. You know how it is I'm sure. It's such a strugle to pick only one idea." Ember motioned toward the empty canvas. That was the beautiful thing about an empty canvas. It could be turned into anything one desired. But that openness was also its' greatest curse. If anyone could understand, she assumed, it would be another child of Iris.

"We haven't gotten much of a chance to talk yet," the young camper admitted. "How are you liking camp so far? I must say I found it all quite overwhelming at first but it certainly isn't without its charms!"

Emberlynn was humming to herself as she looked through the shelves of available herbs. She looked awfully happy for someone who'd come to the infirmary for aid. One might think she was in perfect health - at least until they saw the red welts and scrapes that covered her arms and legs. Darn that boy... he's stronger than he thinks. She'd made the mistake of enlisting the help of a Nike camper and this was where it had gotten her. Well, she supposed she couldn't really call it a mistake. The group had discovered some awfully interesting about her ability. Still... did he need to strike her so hard?

The wounds looked worse than they felt against her pale skin. It was nothing that wouldn't heal over with time. Still, she had hoped to find a remedy here that might ease the sting during recovery. Of course it would help if she knew the first thing about plants and herbs... These things need a new labelling system. LIke, a list of effects or something, she thought. What good was a plant to her if there was no way to know what it did.  Picking up a jar of odd-smelling gel, she examined it closer. It looked ... healing... maybe? Or maybe it would kill her - no way to know for sure. Ember set the thing down.  She supposed she'd just have to suck it up and let the scrapes heal the old fashioned way.

As she was about to give up and leave though, someone else entered the room. It was a boy about her age. Hadn't she sen him somewhere before? As she studied his face, it dawned on her. This was the boy she'd seen help Lady Lilythe during the capture-the-flag game. Ember smiled and waved in greeting. "Oh, hello and good morning to you!"

"Fighting? But we're not..." Emberlynn sighed. "I suppose it could appear that way, couldn't it?" It seemed she'd truly made a mess of things, and in front of a new friend no less. "My apologies Axel, I believe I've gotten myself a bit too - WHAT THE!?!" She stumbled backward, narrowly avoiding the tree branch that was about to smack her in the nose. Before she could catch her breath, the stick came round and struck her side. It wasn't a forceful enough blow to cause real pain - at least though her natural demigod defenses - but it was well placed to further knock the wind out of her. Ember took another step back. Too slow. The stick hit her ankles.

This time she managed to regain her footing, finally getting a grasp of what was going on. Axel was the one hitting her. From his words it seemed he had taken Sage's advice extremely literally. "J-just... just what.. do you..." She panted, dtruggling to get the words out between dodging blows. She scanned for an opening, looking to put a bit of distance between herself and her attacker. It was a few more moments before she found the space to get the words out. "Oh for gods sake Axel!" She blocked another smack with her arm. These were actually starting to hurt a bit now.

"I doubt this is what she meant. Please... Stop this at once!" She gave Sage a pleading look. "Tell him, won't you?"

@ Petal Price

The craft tent was unusually empty today. The place wasn't exactly a hub of activity on a normal day, to be fair. But usually there were a few campers present. The Hephaestus kids working on their various contraptions, the Apollo campers drawing out their poems in fancy calligraphy... none had come to this place today. Only a small girl with wild hair sat toward the center of the tent, staring intently at a large blank canvas.

Emberlynn Knight was the girl in question. It wasn't odd to find her here - she was known for her love of personal expression - but it was odd to see her sitting so still. The canvas seemed to stare back at her, looming over her in all its emptiness. She raised her brush to the wall of white, drawing nearly close enough to mark it. Then her brush would drop and she'd cock her head, as if another perspective might be needed. What to do... what to do... Ember couldn't tell if the Muses had abandoned her or simply overloaded her with information. A thousand ideas swirled in her mind, but none seemed quite right.

The girl sighed, spinning the paintbrush around in her hand. "What a strangely quiet day... how in the world am I supposed to draw inspiration from this?" Yes, that must be it! The child of Iris was vastly creative, but she thrived most when she could draw from people around her. It was the dull loneliness of the place that was stifling her - that must be the issue! She stood and stretched, looking about for something, anything to break the odd mood. She tried a few things herself - tapping her foot, humming a tune - but it just wasn't having the same effect.

"Oh bother..." She looked to the ceiling of the tent, or rather past it toward the heavens above. "Well, you're always there, are you not mother? Would it be too much to ask for a playmate?" Of course it was. It was absolutely ridiculous to expect a goddess to even hear such a mundane request, much less respond. Still, she found herself looking hopefully at the entrance.  

"Oh, I'm sure she can." Ember replied, giving Axel what was indeed an incredulous look. Why was he being so rude to Sage? She was clearly ony trying to be helpful, even if the introductions had been a bit awkward. Ember was the type to give everone the benefit of the doubt, but her insincts in this moment went two directions. In one sense, she felt obligated to stand up to the boy for his insults. On the other, she'd like to beleive that it was all a misunderstanding and he truly did have good intentions. Were it only her, she may have leaned toward the latter. But there was someone else here - someone else he appeared to be insulting for no reason. That and her prior frustration left a snappish tone in her voice. "And what if I don't get it, Axel? Can you fault me for that? Or perhaps it is you who's failed to give a good enough explaination to 'get'."

She looked to Sage, her expresion changing a bit. What was she doing? This was no way for everyone to get along. She cast her eyes downward. "Ah... I'm sorry. There's no need for confict really. It's just... well, I'm quite frustrated. You see-" She extended her hand just as Axel had, only hers began to give off the telltale purple glow. A small trail of light followed as she waved it in front of her. "It's my... my ability, I suppose. I know it can be more useful. The first time I summoned it it was so big and bright, like the gods themselves were answering my call for help. But now I can barely make this tiny light. I just - I simply can't figure out how to access that strength I had before."

Ember let the light die out. "Axel's not wrong, I suppose. I truly don't get it. Perhaps a new perspective is indeed called for. Have you any ideas?"

"Switch it up?" Emberlynn cocked her head, giving the boy a puzzled look. What could he possibly mean by that? How else was she supposed to develop a magical power aside from trial and error? It wasn't as though the camp provided training manuals. Heck, Ember didn't even have a cabin leader to ask questions about this kind of thing. "So, you're saying I should just not focus on making it work? And how, pray tell, am I supposed to do that!?" There was a streak of irritation in her voice. She wasn't angry at Axel, though it certainly may have come off that way. She was just frustrated. Frustrated that she couldn't get her abilities to work properly, frustrated that she couldn't grasp whatever the boy was trying to tell her...  frustrated that she had nobody to share in her frustrations.

Before she could apologize for the minor outburst though, another girl appeared in the clearing. She adressed Emberlynn by name, which struck her as peculiar since - well - they hadn't met. "Of course it's alright!" Emberlynn smiled brightly, instinctively masking her prior feeling with charisma. But... was that the best play here? It was a lie, wasn't it? Perhaps if she were to open up to the others, she might feel a bit less lonely. After a moment's consideration, she allowed the fascade to drop. "Oh... welll. actually no. I'm quite frustrated at the moment. That's neither of your faults though. Axel here was simply trying to help, and it would appear that you -ah - I apologize! You know my name, but I seem to be drawing a blank when it comes to yours! Who are you, might I ask?"

While the irony of his statement may have been lost on Axel, it certainly wasn't on Emberlynn. Her joking smile turned into a full-on giggle as she responded. "Terribly sorry - I meant no harm by it. It's just... well, you scared me for a moment there. I was attempting to concentrate. Didn't notice you at all until you were right there, you see." Her startled reaction ay have been excessively dramatic, but that was simply a part of being Emberlynn Knight. The daughter or Iris was anything but subtle. With her, every motion was complete, every tone precise, and every emotion clearly expressed in the most entertaining way possible. A true theatre kid at heart. This boy - Axel, he called himself - clearly wasn't the most subtle person either. Though he came off less flamboyant and more awkward to her.

"Right - I should have guessed." She'd known almost immediately that her response had been a silly one, but she had hoped not to be called out on it so directly. "We're a little ways out from the Iris cabin - my cabin. I come to this clearing quite frequently. It's a nice place to do some thinking, wouldn't you say? An excellent atmosphere and quiet to boot! Well, usually." Ember smiled again. If she kept joking with him, he'd have to pick up on it eventually, right?

It took him a while, but eventually he got to the actual introduction she'd been expecting. While he'd clearly known her by her hair and voice, it seemed he hadn't actually known who she was. That was remedied easily enough. "My name? Emberlynn Knight, at your service. The dragon-slaying kind, not the time of day. And what you just saw was my ability! Rather a pathetic showing of it though, I must admit." She cast her eyes downward, allowing her inner frustration to show for a moment. Ember hadn't shown her ability to many people. Only McKayla - who'd witnessed her moment of discovery - and her closest friend at camp, TJ. She'd wanted to develop it a bit more before showing it off to the general public. The fact that this was all she had to show for it at the moment irked her more than she would ever let on. Still a pair of fresh eyes on the situation couldn't hurt.

She turned out her palm, once more producing the little ball of light. "This is what I was concentrating on. I've been trying to make it bigger. Or at least make it different. Perhaps it might change color or take another shape? I feel that it can, I just... well I haven't quite worked out the details of how to make that happen yet."