Personal Plot Related A Creative Outlet

[Azrael Blackburn Rare Rare]

Azrael had thought to take the initiative to speak to Lilythe, there had been a lot going on recently, some of it life changingly good and some much less so. He knew the camp well enough but trying to work out where to go for this had been harder. Anything too strenuous would get in the way of conversation, The wall as out, and the archery range would have too many interruptions. The idea of trying to have a conversation in the Amphitheater wold call all eyes to them and at this point he had reservations of blades with the arena.

He had opted to suggest meeting early in the day at the Arts and Crafts Center, early enough that casual campers wouldn't be there and this morning no classes were planned. He made sure there were supplies and pieces, off to one side of his station were enough for the various crafts, easels, paints, clay. He had never really excelled at any of these things at camp before but he was gaining a new perspective of these kind of activities, something to be enjoyed rather than just another skill to train and master, he was slowly coming to like the fact that there were no wrong answers, just creative interpretations.

Azrael had been here since dawn broke, a chance to find some solace and actually think things through. He had tried to come up with a strategy, a tactical method of the conversation but he knew in his heart he wanted to get a chance to speak to her, without the pressure or any more strings attached. He had a simple stool setup in front of a partially worked block of stone, edges had been cut but the shape was still a long way from complete. He took up a flat chisel along with his hammer and gently started on a corner as he waited for her. Nerves clashed with anticipation but he took the time to focus them and with a delicate tap, direct them them through the hammer, into the chisel and dissipate them through the stone. 

@ Lilythe Rayne

Edited October 1, 2022 by Azrael Blackburn

[Lilythe Rayne Rare]

Lilythe could hear him chiseling at the block before she even entered. She had gotten the message to meet with Azrael, and she wasn't sure she wanted to come. She was angry with him and Shadow. They had made an absolute scene during Capture the Flag, and neither of them had thought for a moment about what she would actually want in that moment. She never would have wanted them to tear one another down like that. But more than anything, she was upset that things seemed to be back at square one with both of them.

Finally, she opened the door. Standing in the frame, she looked at Azrael. Her heart skipped a beat, against her will. He truly looked handsome when he was focused like this. Internally, Lilythe cursed herself for entertaining the idea of letting him off the hook. You can't just keep forgiving him like this. She thought to herself.

"If you think you can make me a statue for my room as an apology, you're sorely mistaken. You behaved like a child during that game, Azrael." Lilythe said from the doorway.

[Azrael Blackburn Rare Rare]

"That wasn't my thought" to be honest he had had and discounted this and many other thoughts for a gift, she wasn't that kind of materialistic type of person. "And others would craft it better if it were. I just use this as a way to bring some of that balance back."

"You sent us into a childs game with childrens rules..  How did you expect us to play the game." He sighed. "Look, I tried to step aside but every uninjured camper takes to the field, that's the rule you kept." He knew that the risks had been rising throughout that game, the longer it went on and the darker times became. Maybe he should have walked from the field but he was pretty sure he would be having the opposite debate right now if he had. 

"I tried to keep the young ones okay but even just drawing blades on the kids felt wrong." he deflated "Not like actual lessons". He turned putting down the tools to look at her. "I apologise though, I shouldn't have let his taunts get to me. Should have left it to the kids to play the game" he had always been one for the rules, you play meant you played. Now he saw that not pulling the blade, to protect and shelter the youths should have been enough of a role for the game.

"That was why I had wanted to speak to you though, to see how I could help, if there were lessons needing taken" he said quietly. "If I am going to fit in here I should make myself useful somehow. Though now I am thinking I will end up scrubbing dishes with the harpies.." he knew the stunt at the flag had hurt his position but he had spent the last few weeks getting to know the camp again, but felt more like a guest taking the tour than even his time unclaimed had been.

 

[Lilythe Rayne Rare]

Leaning back against the doorway, she listened to him. "Oh, I don't know Azrael, maybe be captains. Come up with plans. I mean good on you for protecting the little ones, that was probably the best thing you did that day. But as for what I expected? I expected you to lead by example." She said firmly. "I expected that you could both be mature enough to not fight." She crossed her arms over her chest, and fixed him with a stern look. "And I sure as hell expected better from you."

Lilythe sighed. "Azzy... what are you doing here?" She looked at him honestly. The anger drained from her. "Nobody is happier to see you back than I am. Literally nobody. And I hope that New York proved that." She moved closer to him and took a seat at the table diagonally from him. "But if you expected Camp Half-Blood to be anything other than Camp Half-Blood, and all its traditions, then why did you come back?" She looked at him curiously.

"I want you here. I want to figure out what this is between us. But... I need you and Shadow to get along." Lilythe gave him a look that said everything she couldn't. She still cared about Shadow. Their night in New York hadn't erased her feelings for him. But she also cared about Azrael just as much, if not more. They were both important to her, and it was tearing her apart to see them like this. "You want to help? Start by figuring out how you can manage that."

[Azrael Blackburn Rare Rare]

Azrael had let his frustrations get the better of him in that game, his own insecurities and plans that had gone astray. Looking back he could see it, he had taken risks that could have resulted in so much, risk of injury, heck he had thought for a while there he misplaced the kids away from camp for weeks. He took the time to accept that even without Shadow he hadn't shown the aspects that he had aimed for.

What was he doing, he realized he hadn't had a chance to really explain that since he never did catch up with the camp directors. He didn't know the easiest way to put it into words "I came back to.. " he thought it through for a moment "to see how I could help. Camp Jupiter and New Rome were never really home. Dad is still moving around giving legal aid. I finished studying and came back to one place I had really felt like that." He knew who he meant as much as where now, what that unknown longing had turned out, but he didn't want to cause her more turmoil as he knew that whatever they were or could be was still in a delicate, early stage.

"Whatever we are, New York will forever be in my heart" he said solemnly. It had been everything he had ever dreamed of. It had been like Vee had always said.. still a damned penguin. 

"Its not about the traditions, the camp has changed over the years and that has been for the better. We are no longer in a warzone and the kids get to have some time being kids again. Maybe its me that is still in that old camp. I think that was what I had hoped to talk to you about."

"I am looking to find a way to be useful here, I see you taking the campers for survival lessons, I looked in on Dustin training blades in the arena, hell I am signing myself up for more of James' creature lore classes, I forgot how patient that man is. But I don't feel like I have really been able to contribute since I got back. I wanted to know if there were any duties at camp I could help with until the other cabin leaders came back." he knew he wasn't a teacher by trade but his time with the campers had opened him up a lot more than he had expected, realizing there was a lot they could teach him that he hadn't gotten in his time at the camp the first time around. "Or seeing how we have found more year rounders, if there are any more mundane schooling you need prepared." Azrael had never really gotten on well with school in the old days, he had been grateful that Greek words hadn't jumped around for him when he had arrived in the old days. Camp Jupiter had given him a chance to keep learning, their options more open and he had fell upon studies almost as heavily as his physical regimes.

As the topic of conversation turned to Shadow his eyes fell pensively on the stone block in front of him. You chip away everything that isn't the piece of art... he sighed "What if there is nothing to uncover there, no common ground?" he sighed he could feel the rawness and hurt through her voice. "But say the word and I will not raise a blade against him, will hold my tongue, will search for some olive branch that might lessen the damage there..." she knew him as he knew her, should she ask it he would turn all of his attention to the task, whether it would even be possible.

[Lilythe Rayne Rare]

"But we still have to prepare them for war, Azzy." Lilythe reminded him. Times were peaceful now, and she was beyond grateful for that. But monsters weren't gone, and they never would be. The titans and giants wouldn't always sleep. The gods wouldn't always be happy. It was their job to make sure that the next generation could survive just like they had. "I try really hard to let them be kids as much as I can. But I still have to prepare them."

Lilythe rested her head in her hand. She could hear his concern. He wanted to help. Lilythe didn't really know what he could do though. The cabin leaders split those duties. "Nobody expects you to pick up a job. But... if you really need something to do. I'm sure I could find a shift or two for you at The Big House."

With a sigh, Lilythe continued. "I don't need you to be friends. But... your common ground is that you both want me happy." She wanted to reach out and touch Azrael. It didn't take a parental gift to notice the shift in his mood when Shadow's name was brought up. The tension was palpable in the are. Lilythe wanted nothing more than to soothe his anxiety over the situation. "I'm not asking you to bond. I'm just asking you to be civil. I'd like to be able to invite you both to my birthday. But right now I'm afraid to invite either of you."

[Azrael Blackburn Rare Rare]

Azrael was relieved she had come up with some kind of solution, he had known that some of the cabin leaders were still away and with Chiron still being away he had wanted to offer. Realizing that straying into the territory or the Cabin Leaders would be more than a little insulting. "I appreciate you finding some time up at the big house. I just have never been good at sitting idle."

He had known her birthday was coming up and had spent more than a little time trying to work out what he could organize, she was not materialistic and could get anything she needed to run a camp. The only thing that had come near through all his thoughts had been friends. He strode on with this topic as much to keep from the tough conversation ahead as anything else. He would like to see Vee again but he knew that Lithe would be overjoyed, assuming she had made it through the year's studies in the end.. "I wanted to let you know I am headed back to New Rome to sort out the last few bits I left behind. I know I said i was here to stay and I didn't want to do anything that might look otherwise."

Azrael nodded beginning to get an understanding of how much this meant to her - sure he had in some ways known it but here she was standing before him asking him to do this for her, just how important it was. "A bond was not part of my offerings, though to the rest I will hold myself to" he reiterated, "I shall not strike him with a blade, will not seek petty arguments with the man, will try to find that common ground" he finished with "I swear it by the river Styx."

[Lilythe Rayne Rare]

If she trusted that he was really back for good, Lilythe would probably offer him the position as Nemesis cabin leader. He had the makings of one, and honestly, Lilythe felt like it would be weird to make anyone else the cabin leader. But if he just left again, then she would need to find a new one anyway. "I don't think 16 has a cabin leader." She said aloud. "Just some food for thought..." If you plan on sticking around...

As soon as he said he was heading back to New Rome, Lilythe felt her heart sink. Not again... Instant relief came when he clarified that he was just wrapping things up and would be back. The rollercoaster of emotions had probably been visible on her face, but she didn't care. She could be herself with Azrael. At least, she hoped she could. "Just hurry home... I'll miss you." She finally dared to reach across the table and rub his arm gently.

As he began to speak, Lilythe listened. It seemed like he was willing to at least try. But the last words he spoke, caused her eyes to widen. "Azrael... that's... you..." That was a very solemn oath in the camp. Bad things happened when you swore on the River Styx and broke that promise. "I can't believe you did that." Slowly, Lilythe got up from where she was seated, and she began to walk over to him at an agonizingly slow pace. She was angry that he had been so reckless, but she was also incredibly touched that she meant enough to him for him to do something like that. As she made her way over to him she wasn't certain if she was going to smack him for his impulsivity or kiss him for his grandiose gesture of affection for her. By the time she made it there, a tear streamed down her cheek and she pressed her lips to his firmly.

"You reckless, impulsive, romantic idiot."

[Azrael Blackburn Rare Rare]

He thought about it, he wasn't even sure he had something to teach, a skill the campers would hear and pick up, he had worn many hats over the years but never really imparting knowledge, plus he had only just gotten to know the rest of cabin 16 "I might need to get to know my cabin a bit more before I think about that one".

He knew she was still worried about him staying, it was why he had made the point to speak to her, make sure he wasn't planning on leaving her life any time soon. "I will. I just need to pick up the last of my ties to the place. I will be back"

Azrael had known what he was doing when he made that promise. If he was here then something major had to change, Shadow had tried to wager the future on the field and he had been hard pressed not to see the chance that it would have given. Though he had seen the folly of it, this way he could not be tempted. One way or another Azrael would put this rivalry behind him.

As Lilythe slowly stood he was unsure if he had gone too far, he had promised no friendship but would at least avoid bloodshed, but he knew how often she had seen that oath taken and what risks had been spoken in the darkest corners of Olympus if it were broken. She had faced down monsters and giants in the wars but it was rare he had seen that look directed his way, he could feel the anger radiating on each step. Only when she stood next to him could he really see the storm of emotion within her, the anger giving way to sadness, and as she kissed him, he knew love..

As the two parted and she found her words, he responded with a smile "I guess I just need to keep my word then"

well, that was the easy part, now to live up to that promise..

[Lilythe Rayne Rare]

Lilythe blushed and felt like an idiot again. Azrael was clearly in love with her. How had it never been so obvious before? She thought and pressed her forehead to his, gently. "I'm meant to be angry with you..." She said softly, and pulled her face away, only but a few inches.

"What am I going to do with you?" She had a hand placed on either side of his face, and moved them back to stroke his hair. Lilythe had never seen Azrael be so impulsive as he had been lately. He was usually very calculating in his moves. She had always thought that would never change. But in the past few weeks she had seen a far more spontaneous and impetuous side of him than she had ever seen before. Lilythe began to wonder if maybe the old adage 'people do crazy things when they're in love' might have some merit to it after all.

She moved to sit onto his lap, thoroughly distracting him from whatever he had been intending to work on. "You'll be back for my party?" Lilythe said, making sure her eyes met his. She wanted a promise from him. Nothing as bold and brash as before, but an assurance that he would be coming back this time. She didn't want to lose him again. Not now. Not while they were still figuring out whatever this was.

[Azrael Blackburn Rare Rare]

As their foreheads slowly moved apart he took the time to look directly into her eyes. "And probably fully deserving of it. I will make this work though.." He had taken the time to think this one through, every other possibility lead to fighting, either or both of them wounded or worse dead and nothing but pain and heartache for Lilythe. He released this was what they had meant when they say 'take your destiny in your own hands'.. this was his way to try to shift the way this story had been threatening to end. He just wasn't sure if all the good gestures in the world could bridge this rift.

He looked at her, as she checked about the party. It was the reason he planned the journey across the country and back once more, but he couldn't tell her why, if he couldn't convince Vienna to come visit  or she were busy with classes or something Lithe would be hurt for her hopes to rise so much and then be crashed down. He spoke "One trip. There and back. I won't let all the monsters in the states stop me from getting back." he was always wary of how much of a promise he could make in the world but he would be damned if anything was going to hold him back from returning to the camp. He started to gather the stone working tools, planning to move his current block out of the way and safe of marauding campers, he might even get it finished for her birthday, he did need an actual gift to give her. "I have done my time with Rome, that part of my life is over, I just need to close the door on it." he stood and looked at her "I will be at your party, assuming I still get an invite."

[Lilythe Rayne Rare]

Lilythe pouted as he moved her off his lap to stand. She wasn't entirely sure why it had bothered her, but blamed their current awkward situation. She was still working on getting herself used to the idea that she had feelings for him. She looked up at him as he looked at her. "You're invited. I don't think I have much choice other than to trust that you'll do your best to be civil now." She smirked up at him. It was ridiculous and reckless. But it was also incredibly romantic and a grand gesture.

"I'll miss you, Azrael. Even if it is only a couple weeks." Lilythe said, biting her lip. Why was this so hard? She had never been so upset about friends leaving before. Part of it was the fallout from the battles, and she knew that, part of it was from having lost people because of Shadow's possessiveness, and she knew that too. But there was something even more at play. She wasn't ready to admit, even to herself, the depth of her feelings for Azrael.

Lilythe grabbed his arm, and looked into his eyes. Her own eyes misty.

[Azrael Blackburn Rare Rare]

Azrael took the time to look her in the eyes "I am coming back, as soon as i can make it." he nodded "I will make it for the party - one way or another."

He pulled her closer for another kiss, gentle and as much a memory to hold onto until he could return.  "you mean more to me than Olympus itself. I will make myself a place here, I might even look into that Head Counselor position for Cabin sixteen. I have no plans of giving up the camp or the people who make it my home."

With the first noises of campers coming closer Azrael realized the time, he had tried to find an early point in the day but even then he know the Athena campers used the place outside of the camp time slots. He started to push the tools onto the small trolley so it could go out of the reach of the kids.

He looked over the assorted bits and pieces he had left out.. maybe it as his imagination but he started to see the horn of a monster on one corner of the block. maybe a plan for once he got back - though it probably would rule it out as a gift for Lithe...  he grinned as he offered Lilythe an arm to walk her out of the Center. "As soon as demigod-ly possible" he whispered as they left.

(fin - can be archived - again play nice GoDaddy servers)