Order is nothing but a friendship with chaos.

[Ibram Kendi Rare]

Ibram spent most of the early morning working out and performing stretches to keep his muscles flexible, strong, and healthy. Being one of the few early birds, he didn't see much of the other campers doing the same which he was proud of. It is the peace the camp grounds has before more and more began to show up and by then, he was already done with his fitness routine. He also had the entire wooden, makeshift gym to himself which would be occupied for most of the day. This would be the only time he could use it without another camper using the equipment he wanted to use. You could call him impatient or selfish, but surely - the early bird gets the worm. He planned on going straight to the pavilion for breakfast, but it seemed like he was too motivated and parts of his limbs were aching.

He elected to take control of his breathing as he took a stroll towards the strawberry fields. If he took one, chances are it'll grow right back later on.

The boy had plans this weekend. He only had to wait. What was this camp really like? Everyone seemed so kind and happy. Even the most grumpy still weren't actively insulting. He hadn't been made fun of or bullied. This camp was truly fascinating. He thought about his old bully at the moment who had brought mythological creatures just to help him beat up kids. Whether he knew what they truly were or not, it was unfair. And he didn't like it. A part of him was put on edge. Someone had an issue with him now, found him annoying, wanted him out. But another part saw no one had done anything. No one had planned to. No one would gain anything to. 

He only stayed because she didn't know where to go next. It wasn't safe out there and he wasn't used to that just yet. @ Dawn De La Vega

[Dawn De La Vega]

The early bird does catch the worm, and for the girl who's name lay similar to the current hour, came bounding through, light pink shirt and overall shorts, hair frizzy and free as always, carrying a pot of fresh dirt, running at top speed towards the strawberry fields. It was a hypothesis she had-- would this soil be better for the cute little strawberry plants? Would they grow to be bigger? Stronger? Juicier, tastier? The possibilities were endless, and Dawn had one thought in mind, do them all! She wasn't exactly the most aware about her surroundings however, so she mused to herself, "Redder, shinier, and sweeter! My goals for today... who am I talking to? Myself? Wait, why am I still talking?" she just chuckled a bit as she attempted to balance the pot on her head as she bounded into a sprint.

Unfortunately, it fell, but Dawn caught it, balancing forwards a little. "Whew- that was close-" she kept skipping along, still cheerful as always. And still blissfully unaware of the guy in her path to the strawberry fields, still humming to herself and doing simple, little rhythmic hop steps as she did, still carrying the pot of dirt, until her unawareness caught up to her...

CRASH!

"Oof!" she let go of the pot of dirt, and to her surprise, it collided with something- no, someone. "Uh oh..." she said, backing up slightly, dusting off her dirty hands on her already coated overalls from earlier gardening.

"OH! OH NO! I am SO sorry, are you hurt? Ah- you're kinda covered in that stuff- man, I should've been more careful- sorry again!!" she panicked, looking around for something to clean off the dirt. "I should've been more careful!!"

[Ibram Kendi Rare]

One he reached the fields, he began to wander in the path created by the campers as to prevent others from stepping on their plants. Seeing this sort of structure gave him a pleasant smile in his face, satisfied to see that there is some form of order in this part of camp. He was just growing used to the chaos, with some parts messy and some clean. The Big House and the pavilion was always neat and tidy whenever he showed up, but sometimes the other facilities weren't the same. Still, he reassured himself that the campers take turns in making sure they're clean. His legs stopped and his eye was picking on a random strawberry that grew nearby. It looked tasty and juicy, the perfect after workout snack right in front of him. He wasted no time picking it and he took a bite shortly after, enjoying the sweet and aromatic flavor. Kudos to the Demeter Cabin. And Mr. D.

However, he did not know what to expect in the next couple of moments. He didn't hear her humming. He didn't hear her skips as she approached him, her clumsiness getting the best of her as she let go of the potted plant. He didn't notice it until it got too close to him and forced him out of the little trance the strawberry had put him. He almost prevented the plant from falling until the grip wasn't firm enough. It fell and the terracotta pot broke apart upon impact, scattering the dirt all on the path.

It startled him and a feminine voice brought his attention to a female camper who had seemed to cause this mess.

"Hey! You should worry about where you're going." He drew a deep breath. He was more annoyed at the mess she made than her clumsiness. He glanced at the strawberry he had dropped in order to get the pot, but that one still fell to the ground. "I'm not hurt. I'll get the tools in the shed so we can get this done. Wait."

"Are you from Cabin 4 by any chance? I feel like I've seen you around before."

Edited March 28, 2023 by Ibram Kendi

[Dawn De La Vega]

Dawn had sighed and started walking to the shed, dusting off any other vestige of dirt. "Hm?" she had spun around to look at Ibram once more, "Oho, curious, are ya? Need any plants grown? Sorry, I am DEFINITELY not available for any colossal, mutated plants. Out of the question," she made the zipper gesture with her fingers, sealing her lips like a well kept secret.

"But yes, I am part of Cabin 4!" she hummed happily, bending down to tend to one of the strawberry plants and pluck one gently, tossing the new fruit over to him. A sort of replacement and partial apology. Her tone was light and playful, albeit a little exaggerated and dramatic. She definitely had an imagination. A wild one, no denying that, but she was still a happy-go-lucky seeming person on the surface. Get to know her more, and it ran more than just first impressions deep.

She had skipped off to go grab tools, stopping to turn around once more. "Say, I shoot the question right back-- you look familiar too! Oh- right... manners." the scatterbrained Cabin 4 kid dashed over, almost tripping over her own feet. "Dawn's my name. Dawn De La Vega. If it sounds familiar, don't worry. Either you know me from somewhere, or from my incidents here." she dusted off her hand to hold it out for a handshake. "What's yours? Cat got your tongue, oh strange one?"

[Ibram Kendi Rare]

Ibram had told her to wait by the mess she made but she instead elected to go with him to the shed. Does she not follow instructions? He brushed the thought, aware that she might not be the type to. For him, these sort of people leave a bad impression of him and it may be difficult to get away from that. He didn't care anyways as he was more focused on finishing the task at hand. But based on her answer, it is likely she is from that cabin. He knows one person from that cabin already and he gets on his nerves sometimes. This girl might not be too different from that guy. "There's no need. I don't need plants taller than me..." He muttered the last few words, assuming she was literal in her definition of colossal.

And she confirmed his suspicions right away.

As they continued stepping on the path, she managed to get him a new strawberry which reminded him of the one he was forced to drop because of her. Nothing beats the first time he ate that strawberry, he believed. It was just right after he finished working out and he was more or less entranced by the aroma, the taste, and the flavors of the first strawberry he picked. Getting another one won't fix it and it certainly won't replace that strawberry, but he decided to eat it anyway. He took the first bite as they approached the shed and another few quick ones so he could grab the tools.

Though when she mentioned he looked familiar too, he almost shot her a glare with a hint of curiosity hiding in his eyes. At least, she was aware of her own manners. When she finally dropped her name, he remembered the few times she was called out for her tomfoolery. To him, she seemed to be the most erratic kid in the world and made a mental note to avoid her. And miraculously, she came to him. He sure knows her all right. Well, there's no reason he wouldn't refuse. "Ibram. Ibram Kendi. The guy you almost hit with your little stunt. I suppose word gets around. I've heard your name a couple of times."

[Dawn De La Vega]

Dawn seemed completely oblivious to Ibram's sort of... dislike towards her, her ditzy side showing through even more at the moment, smiling at him. "Well then! Popular, aren't I?" she didn't seem aware that it could be... for all the wrong reasons. Dawn wasn't naïve by nature, just a bit ignorant to social cues. She grabbed the tools quickly and ran off, over to the mess she made to begin cleaning it quickly. "Say, what have you heard about me?" she looked up quickly, her eyebrow arched. "Hmmm... I wouldn't call myself a star here," she got up to do a little twirl, "I mean, I'd feel like we've met before." The Demeter kid didn't seem to remember the times he'd probably call out for being such a prankster. She was cheeky in that sense, always stirring up harmless trouble. 

A boundless ray of sunshine and a wild tornado, sweeping up anything and anyone in her path, without much thought. Still young enough to not fully understand the consequences of her actions, but old enough to be smart about what she'd do. Dawn was... learning, at the very least. But right now, she saw a potential best friend, despite his apparent dislike of her, she glossed over it entirely. In fact, she saw a challenge to befriend him... no one could resist from being her best friend for long! 

"Heyyyyy..." she seemed to realize something, a curious expression on her face as she pointed a finger at him, before tapping her chin, "It's awfully early, and unless you're... a spooky nocturnal vampire, feeding on things, oooh, scary!" she giggled a bit, "--No one really gets up this early. So come on. Indulge me a bit, and whatever you say, I'll keep it a TOTAL secret!! Pinkie promise." she extended that appendage, a happy look on her face, and a twinkle in her eye. 

Dawn was trouble. Apparent from the start. But perhaps there was more to her than meets the eye.

[Ibram Kendi Rare]

Ibram was more surprised at her ignorance of the trouble she may have caused from the times he heard her name being called. Technically, she might be right to consider herself popular whether or not that was sarcasm, but that statement could come true if she never stopped her trouble making - and he'd doubt that's possible for her. "Oh, just some things here and there." It was mostly bad things that he had heard about her, but there's a some campers that enjoyed being her audience watching her tomfoolery. "For one, I heard you have a knack for making a mess." He began, referring to the moment that had happened a couple of minutes ago. If she made one now, he was sure she has made plenty before considering her disposition. Yet for some reason, he could tell she wouldn't hit a fly.

He watched her clean up her own mess, a bit impressed that she managed to make the path as nearly as clean as it was before the accident; albeit he had helped out somewhat. He wasn't sure if he should hang out with her more when the other campers might think he could be in cahoots with her, but there was nothing about her that could make him refuse. She did, in fact, made up for her mistake just now and he could respect that... even though she didn't seem like changing her ways. Who was he to expect to her to do that?

"Huh, vampires?" What a load of bull! How could she accuse him of that? "They don't feed on strawberries, do they? I'm willing to bet you're a vampire since you always cause trouble for the campers." He had decided to indulge in her and chuckled at his own comment. "What if they are calling you because they are onto you? I can't help you with that." Ibram saw her pinkie, the twinkle in her eye, and the happy look on her face. So happy for someone so lax. So ridiculous the sight of her made him chuckle. He wasn't making fun of her, but... he thought it was a cute performance.

"Just next time, I don't want you making a mess in the fields. Or hitting someone with soil-filled pottery."

Edited April 6, 2023 by Ibram Kendi