Strawberry Delight!

[Luca Cassano]

Luca had kept in touch with his half-sister outside of camp. @ Dawn De La Vega  is her name among the select few that he writes letters to - though sometimes he forgets to write back so his father had to be the one to tell him that someone wrote back. When the school year was ending, they decided to meet up on the strawberry fields and that is the first thing he would go to after putting his belongings in Demeter's Cabin. He did not bother to wear the usual orange tee but instead adorned a forest green tee with patterns of strawberries on it. Beige shorts covered his thighs and dress shoes touched camp soil, but he did not wear socks. The child of Demeter paraded towards the strawberry fields where the campers pick the fruits for them to sell and export to local restaurants and to Mount Olympus thanks to the joint effort between the Dionysus and his mother's Cabins. It's not just fruits that he liked to grow but flowers too as he liked to beautify the camp - which became a way to deal with his emotions.

As he walked on the open row, he admired the entire aesthetic of the field. Though when he gave a particular spot a closer inspection, he found a baby strawberry plant that he noticed was in need to grow. An index finger gently tapped onto it and it began to grow until it became like the rest as he hummed a happy tune. "There we go!" He sounded hype.

[Dawn De La Vega]

"Think fast!" The child of Demeter had snuck behind her brother and launched handful of dirt in his face. Her frizzy, free hair was done up in a half ponytail, wearing the usual orange tee of camp half blood, but adorned in painted flowers, little rhinestone stickers, with denim overall shorts. She wore numerous flower adorned belts around the waist, and knee high pink socks with little daisies. She snickered mischievously as she took a strawberry from the plant he grew and ate it. "Nice to see you back, huh? Why didn't you tell me? Where did you go?" 

She bombarded him with questions, all while eating the strawberry. Wiping some of the juice off her lips, she launched up and jumped and grabbed his hands. "We're gonna have SO much fun this year, right? Rightttt?" Many of her half-siblings didn't exactly like her, with Luca and Dahlia being the exceptions. She was a lot more chaotic and outgoing than her siblings, as bright as the sun, but many of her brothers and sisters were more the nurturing, quiet kind, so they sought to avoid her sometimes.

It wasn't her fault exactly that she played a lot of pranks on the cabin! She was just trying to have a little fun...

[Luca Cassano]

Luca was admiring the newly grown strawberries that was achieved using his god given gift when he could hear nearby footsteps thanks to the ruffling of the grass. He could already tell it was none other than one of his dear half-siblings simply because he had grown accustomed to her pranks. In turn, well, sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. Or not fire. He wouldn't want to burn nature's offspring. His suspicions were confirmed by her voice and by instinct, he managed to avoid pellets of dirt to his clothes with a roll to the side. His head lifted to meet her eyes, lips forming a grin as he stood up. He took a moment to examine, not judge, her current outfit which he knew it would be different every day - varies in color. He would be convinced she would be a child of Iris if she hadn't implied they were half-siblings.

Paying no mind to the fruits he had just grown and the dirt she just threw at him, he was nevertheless happy to see one of the few people who could stand his unusual way of thinking. Well, it was more like she understood him. "Erm... I forgot to write you back. Sorry." He was almost apologetic in that tone, but he does have a penchant of forgetting his priorities sometimes. "I've been here and there. I was going to see you but I spotted an un-grown strawberry so I used my power so it can catch up to the others." He shot a glance at her. "Then you ate it." Not that he was upset but the hand holding lifted his already lifted spirits. The prospect of their little adventures seemed bright. "Riiiiiight." Luca was playing along, even though the tone sounded sarcastic. "Oh yeah, want to go to our secret hiding spot?" In truth, it's really just the Demeter Cabin's hiding spot which is a tree house deep within the woods.

Their first meeting took place there.

[Dawn De La Vega]

"No, I'd rather wilt away in the sun," she fell back dramatically, then sprung up just as fast. "Of COURSE I wanna go, come on, come on let's go!" she tried to drag him along, excited. She had stolen a couple more strawberries for them both. "You remember we first interacted there, right? When we were like, I don't know, how old were we?" she ate the strawberries, sharing them with him and picking flowers to make a daisy chain. Her hands were always busy, always active, feeling the earth. She plucked a spider from a tree and put it on Luca's shoulder. She hummed and skipped, she whistled.

Dawn was an entity, almost. Always moving and changing. With a smile on her face to go with it. She handed the finished daisy chain to him after taking off the spider and releasing it into the wilds once more. 

(Real post, smh me for not checking accounts!!)

[Luca Cassano]

Luca was suddenly being dragged along with her hand firmly grabbing his wrist, but it was let go as soon as he was walking alongside her towards the forest. "Hmm... I don't know. I think I was thirteen when we met. It's a long time ago, so I don't really remember much. All I know is that we first met there, but maybe this visit could bring back memories." He felt something land on his shoulder, but he was unfazed by the eight-legged insect. Instead, he held a flat hand next to the shoulder so it could proceed to that hand and showcase it to himself. "Hey, little fella. Sorry my sister bothered you, but we're on our away to the treehouse. I'll put you on my shoulder, but you're free to ditch if you want." The child spoke and placed it back where it was when it first landed. Surprisingly, it stuck around. Luca began humming as well, in the same tune as Dawn's.

Meeting her allowed for him to see that she is the sister he never had and she became the first on the receiving end of his affections. There are times some campers thought they were dating... which is weird with them having the same godly parent. But really, they tend to be in sync. "I'm happy to see you, sis. How have you been? Sorry for leaving you alone."

Edited January 28, 2023 by Luca Cassano

[Dawn De La Vega]

"Well, what a ride it has been, hm?" she stopped humming to turn to him. Dawn was eccentric, that was for sure, but Luca and her were so similar and calm that she felt such at ease. It was a weird feeling, as opposed to the awareness that one would not be comfortable in her presence, she could feel that their minds were a lot alike between them. It was a comfortable feeling, albeit a foreign one. She cocked her head to the side for a moment, rubbing a hand behind her neck to think. "Mmm, well, camp has been rather quiet at the moment for me. Most of the campers are younger and I can't exactly get away with dropping a centipede down their shirts without getting reprimanded- trust me, I've tried," she crossed her arms at that last statement.

Dawn said virtually nothing about her life outside camp. Even when she went, she never announced it, only disappearing for a day or two, and returning solemn and quiet, mostly shutting herself away in her room before returning to her mischievous and energetic endeavors. As they reached the treehouse, she climbed the ladder up to it and crawled inside. She was still short enough to sit down cross-legged without bending or hunching over. "What about you? I bet outside camp is plenty fun. Too bad I haven't gotten many opportunities to go out..."

[Luca Cassano]

"You will get reprimanded if your pranks get too far. That's were I have to draw the line," he paused for a sudden moment, "I know you tried. You're not above that." Luca drew a sigh. He could not tell if he should be concerned or relieved, but he never liked hurting people when he is having fun. It just ruins the fun for him and it's clear that the two of them are different this way. He would scold her sure, but he would never bring himself to hate her. "Just... know who are you pranking, please? I don't want you to get in trouble again. I'm not telling you to halt your fun altogether, but I'm more worried that people might gang up on you or something. What if I wasn't there to help you?" While Luca may be immature at times and that his morals can be a little twisted, what trumps over this is his compassion for his friends and family. A hand moved to intertwine their fingers, giving her a soft squeeze as he looked at her in the eyes, creating such a familiar affectionate air around them.

"I know you may not care about others, but I do for you."

It didn't take them long to reach the stables and pegasi can be seen giving campers a ride for the lesson. Screams of joy can be heard from afar as each of them felt a continuous blast of wind to their faces. Luca took the moment to enjoy the sight of enrichment, but later focused on his older half-sister. It certainly has been a ride. They finally reached the treehouse and Luca sat cross-legged across from her. Inside the makeshift home is are arrays of rare species of flowers grown and maintained by the Demeter Cabin with the help of dryads. Animals made it its home too, but sometimes leaves a mess for others to clean.

"I've been spending time with my dad's farm. You know the routine. Help him grow his crops so he could earn a living, though we can't do that forever... so he's been hustling to get a career change with classes and stuff. Why don't you come with me next time? I'm sure he can accommodate you. We can go out to the nearest city which is, I don't know, twenty miles away."

Edited January 29, 2023 by Luca Cassano

[Dawn De La Vega]

Dawn gave a playful eyeroll and untwisted her hand from his, but deep down, she did take his words to heart. "Yes, dad," she said in a teasing tone, snickering. "I know what my limits are, and I can certainly take a reprimanding or two, calm yourself. "I can handle myself quite well if anyone chooses to gang up on me," she put her hands behind her back as they walked, "After all, I'm very much no stranger to combat in the slightest. And besides, of course I'd choose not to hurt anyone with my pranks," she whistled a quick low tune, "But in the end, it's fun to see people squirm like little insects if you mess with them, hm?" 

She had an immature air around her, but deep down, she knew every effect and its consequence. Dawn was smart enough for that, but her fun-loving, thrill-seeking nature tore tornados through many campers, leaving them in her dust with her actions. She nonetheless, enjoyed it and had too much fun doing so to stop. As she polished off the last strawberry she brought with her, she nearly choked on the small fruit at the suggestion. "Ack- but, isn't that too much of an inconvenience? I'm sure you're plenty of a handful already!"

[Luca Cassano]

Luca already knew how capable she is but there is a limit to how concerned he can get for her. Even though she can handle herself in the face of trouble, he would sometimes get dragged along with it simply because they're often seen together. Which he didn't mind at all whether or not it affected him. Dawn had just given him a reminder and he elected to take it to heart so he may pay no heed. A soft chuckle parted his lips after a drew a sigh of relief. "Okay. My bad for caring." There was no offense in his tone. She's a smart lilac. He doesn't take pleasure in hurting others, but if it is a harmless prank... he could make an exception.

"Well if you didn't want to go out with me, you could have said so." He bantered. "Just saying my dad would love the company. I talk to him about you often so he might be curious to see who the person who keeps dragging me into her predicament." The thought of him discovering how much trouble they went through made him chuckle, so it might be more fun if they bring the trouble over there. Except the monsters part. "It'll be fun, but I won't force you." Luca took the moment to gauge the interior of the treehouse, pleased to see that it was somewhat tidy. It was never meant to be spotless but he didn't like a mess if it was there for too long in spite of his somewhat unkempt appearance.

"I have your favorite flower in my room back in my home. I keep flowers representative of my loved ones there so there is a couple from camp. You included. Sappy, I know."

[Dawn De La Vega]

"Oh shush," she chided, using her fist and bonking him on the head gently, "Of course I wanna go with you to the farm! I just am worried that...it'd be weird...or whatever..." she mumbled, messing with the ends of her hair. "Besides, you know how I am. I can't mix with such open land; what if we end up causing a natural disaster or something? You by yourself, pfft, I could call it tame, but I'm collateral damage if I tag along...I suppose I can take you up on that offer though." she sighed, looking around the treehouse. In regards to the flower comment, she turned towards him in surprise.

"How'd you know what my favorite flower is?" she said curiously, tilting her head. "Well, the morning glory is a cute flower...grows in the morning, closes at night, like my name. Dawn. But hmmm," she narrowed her eyes playfully, tapping her chin. "Has someone been snooping around my room?" she teased, looking him up and down.

[Luca Cassano]

Luca couldn't help but chuckle. He remembered telling stories about him and her through his letters, but despite the worry his father has for his son, he was delighted to know that he's met a few friends that could even stand him. Perhaps extending an invitation might be too much for her, but the offer would still stand. "It won't be weird but... my father will make you earn your keep. He makes me do the chores so... I don't see him letting you slack off. We live pretty far from urban areas so we haven't had much monster attacks." In truth, he hasn't thought much about inviting her until recently but the mere possibility of her going gave him the serotonin he needs. Luca approached a potted plant that sat on the window, shrouded with sunlight. It seems like a dryad or one of their siblings took care of it this morning.

"A beautiful, yet fragile flower. They last a day and fade as the sun sets. Our powers can offset this." Luca spoke with a soft tone, taking a pause before he could employ a joke. "Who would want to snoop in your room? It's a mess. You probably lost track of your stuff." 

[Dawn De La Vega]

Dawn just gave a hearty salute. "Aye, aye! Don't worry, I can work just fine, and even if monsters attacked, I know a LOT of fighting techniques. Well-- some. Kinda. You know what, technicalities!" she just huffed in thinking about her lack of capability in the combat department. But she shuffled over quickly to stare at the flower, reaching over to the petals to touch it gently. "Well, yeah. True, our powers can definitely offset these kind of flowers, but that makes it ALL the more fun, huh? Come on, I have a point."

She just gave a mock offended gasp at the comment in regards to her room. "Hey! My room is not messy. I'd call it more planned chaos, mind you! Like you're one to talk, I bet your room looks like a BOMB went off in there!" she playfully shoved him, before bursting into giggles. "I was working on a new project, I'll clean it soon... just working on some new designs. Nothing too special, nothing's going well right now in that department. Oh, woe is me, my muse has left me just as the sun leaves the horizon at sunset... ignore my dramatic ass," Dawn muttered, laying on the floor of the treehouse, sighing audibly, yet dramatically. 

[Luca Cassano]

What his older half-sister said had reassured him and he made a mental note not to worry about her as much. He still worries for his friends and family, but he's beginning to express a little bit more of that to her since she gets herself in trouble practically every day. And yet she still appeared to have fun and not get harmed. He's also been part of the experience as well... he could testify that she's like a harmless lady bug that constantly annoys people whenever she gets the chance. Yes, she can handle herself just fine. Luca continued to look at the morning glory flower before finally giving Dawn his undivided attention. Giving the flora life before they could die. How could it not be the best gift given?

"More like organized crime..." He muttered, only to laugh out loud at his comment whether or not she heard it. He already knew his room tends to be a mess and some of their half-siblings have already pointed it out, complained, and occasionally cleaned for him. In turn, he'll make them meals if they ever do that last part which is why he is rarely seen cleaning his own room albeit he was confident it was more cleaner than Dawn's. Anyways... "What are you working on this time?" He asked as he laid down on the floor with her with no regards to his clothes being dirty. "You should be an actress while you're at it. Maybe you'll shock everyone!"

 

[Dawn De La Vega]

"Oh please," she rolled her eyes playfully at him, waving his comment away, "At least it's somewhat organized," she just giggled with him as well from the floor, still lying dramatically. But was comfy enough to lie there regardless.

She thought for a few moments, lacing her fingers together and placing them over her stomach as she rested. "Hm... I'm not entirely sure. I think it's a jacket, but it could be a shirt. I'll make it both, how about that?" her imagination was full to the BRIM with outlandish ideas, as she lay on the floor, thinking away about her next big project. "Actress? Hm! As if... I couldn't possibly HOPE to match any of the Aphrodite kids. Besides, I don't think I'm meant for that life. My dad already had enough of his name in the lights-- not for good reasons, either."

Brief memories of stories told to her about his fashion designing career flooded through her mind, before letting it out in a brief sigh. "The De La Vega name probably can't be seen as anything positive now, and do I have to add we're a ragtag bunch of people... at a camp... having to be protected from monsters." 

[Luca Cassano]

He couldn't argue about that. Both of their rooms are a mess. Forgetting to pick up after himself or change new clothes after walking in with filthy attire, Luca is entirely the blame for that and he was certain she was too for her room, but that was not important right now. "Sure, count me on board. I'm not good artist though I hope I don't ruin your aesthetics or anything." He cared about not being a good at artistic endeavors only because Dawn was one of the more... creative half-siblings so he found it fun to look at her designs and see whatever she's come up with.

"The Aphrodite kids have nothing but make up on, though- right? They could probably convince people without doing anything. And even some of them are terrible actors... I think," Luca paused, "Well, we don't have a choice. We're bait for monsters and I get shocked some campers have led normal lives before coming here." He did not know much about her father since she's only mentioned him but never talks about him. He sometimes wondered what exactly happened to him that could tarnish their surname but maybe this is the time to talk about it. "Do you... want to talk about it, Dawn?"

Being alone together in their little treehouse gave them privacy too, so she was free to speak unless some dryad sneaks up on them.