And then, you came.

[Idris Cohen Rare]

A certain child of Hermes has had enough of staring at a blank page and hoping words will magically inscribe themselves on it. He's been trying to write... something, anything in this new journal for a while, but inspiration is failing to flow. He blames the noise that filled the entire cabin; it's distracting him somehow. The journal was a gift from his mom he had gotten over the winter when the last one was already full and is currently safe in his chest. That medium became an outlet for him to write about his day, his thoughts and emotions, or something that had inspired him. He also used it as an outlet to release heavy emotions, it seemed like he did not have that muse at this moment. Idris wasn't feeling heavy but more... stumped. He shut his journal and looked around for something else to do.

Reading would be no good; he can sense it would be another fruitless endeavor of attempting to concentrate. He feels like talking to someone, honestly, but all of his friends are occupied in their activities today. He didn't want to bother them just yet. So there was one thing left in his mind - to exercise. Idris held his journal firmly as he strode over to the climbing wall, hoping to jog his brain with a bit of physical activity. Then again, maybe it is because he skipped is morning exercise routine. Placing his notebook on the ground, he took the moment to prepare for a climb. @ Alyssa James

Edited April 9, 2023 by Idris Cohen

[Alyssa James]

Alyssa hadn't gone for a climb in a while. She liked to keep fairly active, at least with these kinds of physical activities. Combat wasn't really her forte, so the arena wasn't her favorite source of exercise. But climbing? This was something she enjoyed. It gave her far more satisfaction than any of the combat classes ever did. Part of being a child of the goddess of youth was having an appreciation for the things that kept one feeling young. Adrenaline was the perfect fuel to maintain that feeling. The best way to get it was to keep yourself active and engaged. So every day, Aly did a new activity to help make sure she kept herself feeling as young as possible for as long as possible. She slid into a pair of leggings, and a tank top before calling out goodbye to her sister and heading for the climbing wall.

As she arrived, she saw a somewhat familiar face. Aly had been at camp long enough to have met Idris in passing, but she had never really gotten to know him. They travelled in different friend circles, were in different cabins, and there had never really been a chance to get to know one another. She waved casually as she arrived, and smiled. "Mind if I join you?" Aly stepped up to the bowl of chalk that was nearby and started chalking her hands so she wouldn't lose her grip as she got sweaty from the climb. "I didn't want the day to go to waste."

[Idris Cohen Rare]

Idris began performing stretches so he wouldn't get cramps later on, but it was one of the first things taught by his cabin mates in the first month that he lived here. If he was going to be fit, then he needed to know how to maintain that and make his life easier. Once he finished, he heard nearby footsteps to his side and it was instinct to look where it came from. One look at her and suddenly she was familiar to him. He wouldn't call her a complete stranger... but he had seen her here and there and sometimes exchanged words. It was only now that he felt they spent more time than usual being in the same space. Of course, he wouldn't mind the company. "Sure thing." Idris stepped up to get chalk on his hands as well in case he needed to avoid lava. If they're lucky, there may not be lava at all.

"So how did you start your day?" He began, curious when she said she did not want hers to go to waste. He could respect her in that sense. In most days, he could be found occupied in an activity or hobby while in others, he was just lounging around in Cabin Eleven or hanging out in the Rec Room at the Big House. Once he clapped his hands, he stood to her side and faced the wall - taking the moment to gauge his path of climb. Then another question popped into his head and he wasted no time in asking, "You climb here often?"

[Alyssa James]

Aly smiled as Idris obliged her request to join him on the climbing wall. She moved forward, stepping up to the bottom and looked up. The lava could be heard bubbling near the top of the wall. Speed was the name of the game when doing the climbing wall. You had to make it up fast enough that the wall didn't collide with the other wall and cause the lava to come pouring out. Though, there were other modes that could be turned on if someone wanted more of a challenge.

Idris began asking questions and Aly had to snap her attention back to the person near her. "Woke up, got dressed, came here." She grinned over at him. "I may have slept in. I was up late last night with some of the Dionysus campers." If someone wanted to unwind and relax, Dionysus cabin was where you went. They were the party people. Children of Hebe loved to party--probably because it was an activity people tended to grow out of as their youth faded. Parties meant you were still young.

Just as Aly was about to set herself up to start climbing, Idris asked another question. She chuckled to herself because it felt like maybe he couldn't handle the silence if someone else was there. It was endearing. "We don't really have many other options for climbing walls." Aly smiled. "But yeah, I try to climb at least once a week."

[Idris Cohen Rare]

Idris couldn't help but chuckle. When he thought she had accomplished part of her day, she had only woke up. "Your day just started and the first thing you do is make the climb. I'm almost impressed." Well, it might be a part of a routine for campers to exercise after they wake up. It was Idris', except he started early in the morning and now he felt like jogging his brain with a bit of adrenaline. It also happens to improve his mood and maybe that could help him jot some stuff in his journal. Sometimes, he just did not want to sit still.

He could tell that she had fun last night, considering she was with those campers. They could make anything sound fun nowadays and that's what he liked about them. Idris could almost match their party spirit but he isn't the type to party as much as they do but he does consider it an occasional pastime if he wanted to let loose. "That's good. Getting in that weekly climb. It's not for all of us, but... sometimes you just want to feel what it is like to see from above." He smiled back at her as he got ready, placing his hands on an available rock that acted as a handhold, making sure there was a foothold to begin with so he could start.

"Why don't we add a little bit of thrill?" he asked, "First one to the top, wins. You up for it?"

[Alyssa James]

Aly rolled her eyes and smirked as he said he was 'almost impressed'. "Ah yes, that was just what I was hoping for, too bad I just fell shy of the mark." Alyssa was her own person. She didn't really live to try and impress others, and tended to be a very go with the flow individual. If people expected her to try and conform to what they wanted, they were going to be sorely disappointed. While she wouldn't go out of her way to rebel against them, she also wasn't going to put forth the effort to do as they expected of her either. She did what felt right to her in the moment, and tried to live life by those rules. Impressing people was not something that she typically cared about. Stepping up to the wall, Alyssa placed her hands on the stones. "I do like that feeling of freedom when I get to the top. You know, before I have to scamper back down before the lava starts flowing."

"What do I get when I win?" Aly asked jokingly. If this were a sprint, she would have no chance at beating a Child of Hermes, and she knew it. They were the fastest kids at the camp, and the only ones who came close were the Children of Nike. But here, on the climbing wall, it was more about strength and precision than classical speed. Being able to do it quickly would be important, but it didn't matter how fast you were if you had no upper body strength. There was a reasonable chance that she could actually turn this into a reasonable competition. Mostly, though, she was just in it for fun. And she loved a good challenge, especially when there was something on the line.

[Idris Cohen Rare]

Idris liked the reception of his little joke. Looks like she know how to play with words and he was inclined to make another one. But for now, it was the thrill of making the climb into a competition that trumps over his penchant for playful banter. It was his way of breaking the ice and he never liked awkwardness between himself and another individual. He didn't want to run away either as he knew he would see the person again one way or another so he thought it was best to create rapport first. And besides, who doesn't like a little friendly competition? The only things is, they're climbing a wall that may have lava. Should he care if his shirt was singed though if something was at stake?

"You get that feeling of freedom when you get to the top," he couldn't help but smirk, pretty much playing back at her words. He couldn't help it, but he didn't have anything to offer. But it needed to be something different, something that he could offer. His reputation? Sure, Cabin Eleven might be all over him when they find out another camper beat him in a competition of fitness but he didn't care. Actually, they might not care at all. "You get the satisfaction of beating a Hermes kid. Sorry, but it's all I could do." Though if she had one request, he could be convinced.

"But when I win... You get to read an entry on my journal." Okay, that's one more but he was more curious to see her reaction. "I could have written anything. It's right there." He said, hoping the mystery would pique her interest. The notebook still laid there on the grass. He wasn't too worried about it being gone since the climb shouldn't take long. And even then, he hadn't wrote anything too personal yet. They were on his other notebook, locked in a chest.

[Alyssa James]

Alyssa nodded. That was exactly it, the feeling of freedom. As a child of Hebe, Alyssa appreciated a lot of the things that represented youth, and freedom was one of those things that she, personally, felt encapsulated youth. "Exactly."

Shaking her head. Alyssa crossed her arms over her chest. "I beat children of Hermes climbing this thing all the time. You're gonna have to do better than that." She also looked at him like he had five heads when he said what he wanted when he wins. "Let me get this straight... if you win, you want me to read the journal? Why not just... show it to me then?" Alyssa really didn't understand why he wanted to go through all this pretense if he just wanted her to read a journal entry. "I mean, if you want me to read it that badly, we don't have to climb the rock wall."

Stepping away from the rock wall, Alyssa started walking over to the chest.