Ready to Archive Shot thru the heart.

[Elijah Quinn Rare]

It was a cool and breezy morning. The sun cast a golden light over the trees and bushes, illuminating everything in its wake. Birds chirped and tweeting, squirrels chattered in their trees. The birds reminded Elijah of the way he used to chase after them when he was a child. He would happily run after the them and try to catch them in his hands. His mother always laughed when he watched one fly away a short distance only to reappear a few feet away from her son. Despite his best efforts, he was never able to catch any of the birds. There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Elijah sometimes wished he could teach his mother how to use the bow but she did not share his interest in archery but instead in musical gifts bestowed by his father. In the distance, he heard the sound of wood hitting the ground followed by the dull thud of an arrow hitting its target which had forced him out of his daydream.

"There we go!" Elijah subbed for Chiron in an archery class. He was teaching them how to properly draw the bowstring, hold the arrow, and release the string when they wanted to shoot. He hoped that they would be able to make a bullseye when they shot their arrows at the target at the end of the field. As he spoke, a group of campers gathered around him to listen attentively. They nodded their heads in agreement with what he said and made notes on their pads of paper. At the end of the lesson, the students took their bows and arrows with them and returned their gear to the shed but some stayed behind to practice. As for him, he wanted some time alone and chose that to practice shooting in the woods.

Elijah strolled to the woods where he was planning to practice that afternoon. He found a nice spot next to a small pond and sat down to relax to wait for the birds to fly by so he could think about his first kill of the day. As he leaned back against the trunk of a tree, an unmistakeable sound of a twig snapping interrupted his thoughts. His eyebrows furrowed as he clenched his fist. A monster could be approaching him already? How could be miss that? @ Akemi Lancaster

Edited January 9, 2023 by Elijah Quinn

[Akemi Lancaster Rare]

The woods were her sanctuary for the moment, for Akemi at least. Her half-siblings always busied themselves with other matters, and of course, it wasn't in her nature to interact with new people. 

So she took it upon herself to retreat to places where most wouldn't cross or look for her. Speak with her. From the roof of the Big House, to down by the arena at dawn, she stayed there, watching those who went about their lives. Like how the goddess Hestia tended the hearth at the center of the camp, always present, but almost never acknowledged.

Her favorite place to frequent was the woods, to climb the trees, although monsters liked to come and go, sniffing out her scent. Yet she liked the little risk of danger and being caught. She saw many things (and things she probably was never meant to see, at that,) from the trees, from bushes, leaning against rocks in the shadows.

It was a typical, depressing sunny morning. She didn't want to stay indoors, as dreadful as the weather was- how typical of her- but she ended up going back to the woods again, sitting and staring at the golden sky for what seemed like hours.

She had been watching the young archers take lessons at the hand of an Apollo kid (per usual,) but once she saw what it was, a smiled softly curled on her lips as she climbed down from the tree, hopping on the ground with her hands in her pockets, landing on a twig, resounding the noise of a crack.

"Before you shoot an arrow through my skull," she held up her hands as a peaceful gesture, "I'm not here to kill you." 

[Elijah Quinn Rare]

The young man drew a slow breath, heart pounding against his chest as the monster could pounce at him any second now. He did not think his first hunt of the day would come to him, but then again any monster would sought to kill a demigod. Close combat was not an option as he did not bring a blade with him, thinking he could solely focus on hunting strictly with his tools. Inside his pocket is a guitar pick with a symbol of a lyre etched in the celluloid, ready to be equipped in times like these. Elijah reached for it, standing still as to not aggravate the monster yet with his movement. Drawing another quiet and heavy breath, he decided to confront the monster on his own. It was in the spur of the moment when a bow materialized out of thin air in his hand and an arrow of light in the other, despite having a quiver slung over his shoulder. He was just about to let go of the bow string when he continued to hold it.

Elijah blinked. 

It was no monster, but rather another camper. "Oh! I'm very sorry about that. I thought you were something else." All this time, he was preparing himself for what could be a battle. The young women could tell he was embarrassed by the silent gasp as the bow began to dissipate and the radiant glow it was emanating grew dim until there was nothing left of it. The guitar pick made itself comfortable in his pocket while Elijah had to make up for that little scare. He wouldn't dare draw a weapon against another camper. Upon closer inspection, he recognized the girl after seeing her a few times. He couldn't forget a face even when he's met with a lot of campers. "I'm Elijah, son of Apollo, if it wasn't obvious." It was a bit ironic, considering his weapon of choice. "And you must be...?"

Even with word around the camp, he could not get everyone's names, especially when they chose to go under the radar. 

Edited January 7, 2023 by Elijah Quinn

[Akemi Lancaster Rare]

Akemi's lips drew into another smirk, amused at his embarrassment, as he introduced himself as "Elijah." She had seen him often around camp, as the Apollo kid who would scurry around, like a ball of sunshine, trying to help anyone new out, always assisting others whenever he could. Of course, they had never interacted, not once, but she knew who he was.

An idea popped into her head, twirling her hair around her finger in slight amusement, as she replied. "Akemi. Child of Hecate." she held her hand out, hesitantly at first, hoping to shake his hand. Someone like him, would be...of use to her. Someone who knew many people, the center of information. Perhaps maybe, she would give this bright child of Apollo a little bit of her time, and in return, receive a good amount of information- maybe she could find more places to explore around here- and disappear back into the shadows the minute she had received everything she could from him.

"I was watching you practicing archery with the younger campers," she crossed her arms. "But doesn't Chiron usually do that? Of course, it's none of my business, but..." she made a tsk noise with her tongue, "Curiosity, you know?"

[Elijah Quinn Rare]

"A pleasure to meet you, Akemi." A cordial smile formed in his lips as he reached a hand out to shake her's.

It was awfully embarrassing whether he liked it or not to be found in such state. He knew it was no prank either- it was none other than a pure coincidence of their meeting. Still, what she had said next has shed a light on the identity of the eyes he felt when he was giving instruction to the campers earlier. Well, he felt the watchful eyes more than once so finding out those times turned out to be her brought a wave of relief. It was in no way stalking but simply observing from afar. He did see her once or twice but the moment he wanted to meet up with her, she was gone like a ghost. It was pleasant that she came to him first. "Chiron is off with the Party Ponies at the moment so I am filling in for him along with my half siblings. We have a schedule on a volunteer basis."

Elijah loved giving lessons even if it is a way to get out of his comfort zone. He remembered being asked to volunteer so he could go out and meet other campers, but the outcome is something he had not expected before. He enjoyed it. Seeing them hit a bulls eye, he was reminded that doing so was creating competition for him. Even if he is a gifted marksman like his other half-siblings, he can't just master it in one day. And then there is the medical skill set, the art of healing. "How have you been? Of course, it's none of my business..." He teased with a smirk, but he really was interested in getting to know her. "...but you do have a knack of ghosting. No pun intended, but since you are here, I wouldn't mind having a chat. Over training or lunch. Whichever works for you."

[Akemi Lancaster Rare]

"I see. Very well then," she shook his hand in return, putting her hands back in her jacket pockets afterward. She did enjoy watching him in particular- always had an eye on him. She barely made many friends at camp, which was not a result of her demeanor (though sometimes it would be) but in fact, simply refusing to interact with most people entirely. But Elijah always fascinated her. She didn't understand why- and she intended to find out. 

She could feel the shadows curling behind her, curious at her new interaction, but chose to ignore their growing presence, as she chuckled at the ghosting comment. "I'm very well, thank you. And..." she trailed off, caught off guard by the request. "Training would be nice. Too many people gather at lunchtime sometimes, and anywhere I go there's nosy dryads, or perhaps the occasional campers making out." she said, sighing. "Besides, some training would do me some good. I rarely practice anyway." 

She did know how to fight with a sword, but nonetheless she had never crossed blades with a real person. She learned by watching the best fighters at camp, and by the cover of the night, swinging and remembering the minute details of fighting with it. Technique over experience. Spells were more her thing, stretching her limits to how many she could cast, and especially her control over shadows. Both she were equally strong- and rather good at, if she had to be the judge of it.

"You think you'd be down for a little training, sunshine boy?" she called him that teasingly, with a small smile on her face.

[Elijah Quinn Rare]

Elijah was intent on practicing alone, not that he wanted to avoid people like the woman who stands before him. He always welcomed doing so with others but there are times when he wanted to be the judge of his own abilities. The children of Apollo for their marksmanship and excel in healing but it never hurt to just stick to those. Like every other demigod, they learn new skills and hone them to ensure their survival against creatures straight out of mythology. He figured she would choose training over being around a group of adolescent teens, meddlesome dryads, and campers intent on PDA without a care in the world. He could admit, however, they are part of what makes camp a great place for demigods. A second home and a safe haven so it is one thing to see it as a training regime. A bit of an exaggeration but no one wants to lose others in the hands of monsters. Not a single soul. Even if they have grudges.

Chuckling from her comment, he could not agree more with the camp's quirky sides. "Hmm, I suppose you practice your magic then. Spell casting, right? I heard umbrakinesis is a rare ability. Not every child of Hecate is born with it and to even learn it is even more difficult. I heard someone is trying her very best to acquire that power," he paused, "but I also know a half-sibling of yours who wields said power. He's been helping her out. Keeps to himself. Like someone I know." Elijah helped himself to a grin, clearly referring to Akemi. "He's a nice guy, but younger than you. I don't suppose you'd be interested in meeting him sometime?"

"How could I refuse you, ghost girl," he played along, smirking, "Come on. Let's walk a bit further so that no one else would bother us."

[Akemi Lancaster Rare]

Akemi walked alongside him, the shadows trailing behind her. "Spells...they're my forte. I rarely fight otherwise. Why would I? Combat is best left to the more experienced campers." she smiled at the ghost girl nickname. As he mentioned half sibling, sparks went off in her head, realizing something.

"Forgive me, but could you possibly be referring to Asher and Tristan? I've seen them practicing in Cabin 20...rather interesting." she chuckled as she swirled shadows in her palm, like ribbons of smoky black silk, as she let them hover. "I'd help them, but they seem to have it fully under control, I think I'd leave them to their own devices." she glossed over the fact of meeting him, but did comment on it, "I prefer to try and not interact with my siblings much. They all have their own lives, and although we share a parent, it should not be obligation to interact with them much. I do hope to talk to one of them one day; I'm interested to see how their magical abilities are."

She sighed, gently, breezy chills spreading through out her body as she dispersed the shadows. "Not to say that this little walk isn't fun and all, but where are we headed?" 

[Elijah Quinn Rare]

"That's only because you avoid them which goes to saying how much practice rarely do. Hate to break it to you, but people play a part in improving your ability. And it is not just in spell casting." He shot a glance at her but if she were to look back, he met her eyes. "I'm not asking you to break away from your spectral form- but I would be more than happy to be that one person you'd take. One person is better than none at all, if you're asking me." Elijah was growing happy at his use of terms when it relates to his nickname for her. It was not unique, anyone could be called that- but when she calls him sunshine boy, it meant more to him. If he were to elaborate further, it's better than calling her a wraith.

He nodded at her inference. "Yes, those two. Tristan is a friend of mine and he sometimes fills me in on their study sessions. They met up many times, but to no avail. I can tell Asher's trying really hard when I but into one of their sessions a while back. I do hope she succeeds." As the young man strolled further along the woods, he felt a sense of peace and tranquility fill him. He inhaled the crisp autumn air and closed his eyes, taking in the natural smells of trees and earth. Leaves were blowing gently in the wind, and the sun was shining brightly in the sky. "I've met all of my siblings, but doesn't mean I talk to them. You're right when every camper has their own lives, even I don't talk to everyone. I wouldn't have the time and energy. It's no obligation for me either- I just like talking and knowing stuff." 

"We're headed to a clearing we can use as training grounds. If a monster appears, that makes it even better." He responded. "If you're confident in your spells, allow me to test them in battle! But don't turn me into an animal or something. I prefer to have my human parts, please." 

[Akemi Lancaster Rare]

"Oh, what a crying shame," she replied, her response thick with dry wit, "I think I'd prefer you as a ferret," she looked at the weather in distaste. Sunny...not a pleasant day. She cast a look over at him, twirling a lock of hair around her finger once more, "Personally, monsters are more fun to me at times. I am aware I lack more capabilities than most campers here, but that is the price to pay for being a spectral among the living." her lips, painted blood red, pursed into a thin line. "Nonetheless, I'd be willing to combat you- it's good to know that I have a possible ambulance ready if I so happen to get shot in the shoulder."

She took his words with regards of meeting his half-siblings to heart, as sighed and thought to herself. "Fine, perhaps I will meet them... people watching is filled with nothing but romantic drama at the moment. Don't get me wrong, a lovers' quarrel is great to watch," mischief flashed through her eyes, "But really now, must it always be like that?" she cut short as they approached the clearing, the shadows rescinding at the brief light, but nonetheless, their presence returned once more after a small while.

"So it seems we're in your territory, sunshine." she said, crossing her arms. "Don't go easy on me regardless, mkay?"

[Elijah Quinn Rare]

Elijah did not take offense to her comment but instead, was satisfied with her choice of the animal. Having taken an interest in animals, he loved learning about them and their habitat, habits, and tidbits here and there. This very reason is why he converses with the animal spirits in the forest and most of the time the dryads join too. Whether people believe it or not, he considered it to be magic of speech. "Nice to know you don't fear monsters. We need more campers like that." He commented. It was okay to be afraid of them but those who aren't is already one step ahead.

It's true that he'll tend to her wounds but should she sustain fatal injuries would warrant a use of ambrosia but he doubt they'll ever get to that point. "Even I find the pleasure in being the audience of a lovers' quarrel but some couples can be appealing to the eye with their acts of intimacy, but that's not your kind of thing." Once the two of them arrived at the clearing, the sun's rays that pierced through the canopy hit his face and he suddenly felt refreshed. "I won't. Perhaps the sun is a morale booster for me. Consider it a challenge when your magic is at its weakest."

Eli took it upon himself to stand at some distance from her just like how two contenders are facing each other in a bout. A gust of wind swayed the flora, eyes gazing upon his opponent...

[Akemi Lancaster Rare]

She let the wind blow behind her, like a tailwind, its chill supporting her and giving slight strength. She could feel the shadows' presence cowering in the sun, and bit her lip in the guise of that challenge. Not that they would abandon her in that time of need, but she took a deep breath as she felt her magic coursing through her veins. Like a heartbeat, syncing up with hers. She liked the prospect of a challenge, but she only had her knife on her, which would be hard to fight with...curse her for not bringing her sword.

She felt hesitant to strike first, but she could feel the familiar chill of magic curling around her hands, as she steadied her eyes on her opponent. "Let's do something simple...first blood wins. How does that sound to you?" she exhaled, feeling the shadows waiting on the sidelines, in the nosebleeds, ready to assist and to strike. Akemi was nervous, with the prospect of an extra challenge, but she was ready to try her hardest in this bout.

[Elijah Quinn Rare]

Sunshine boy was intent on hunting monsters and using them for target practice but it seems like this is better for the both of them. Even when the sun's rays is giving him warmth, he could feel the very subtle chill from his spine. He doesn't know her at all, other than her magic being weak at this time. Tristan made up for it with umbrakinesis and fencing so he was curious on how she would fare. It is certain that the conditions are in his favor but he learned never to underestimate his opponent. "Sounds good to me. The ambulance will be ready no matter the outcome." He decided to part his lips for a bit of comedic relief before they start clashing weapons... or powers in that matter.

A hand slid into his pocket once more but he wasn't as anxious as he was back then since she is standing across from him. Once the guitar pick was visible to the naked eye, it began to materialize into a celestial bronze bladed bow with sapphire blue accents that made up the body of the blades before the rim.. A hand grips the weapon through the bow's possessed brown handle as the radiant light it emitted died down. It would have stuck out like a sore thumb in battle, but he liked the momentary attention. Next, a bow string connected through the blades' tip materialized as well along with an arrow of light. He drew it towards her, slowly.

A deep breath parted his lips and the string snapped, hurling the arrow towards her. 

Edited January 8, 2023 by Elijah Quinn

[Akemi Lancaster Rare]

The spellcaster nearly missed dodging that arrow, by moving to the side. "Yikes, that was close." she dove into a roll as a precaution for another arrow, and called out with her mind, for the shadows to gather, and they flowed forward in a silky, black tendril seizing his ankles in attempts to trip him, pulling forward with might. She drew her wakizashi, her specific knife she carried, and prepared for any other tricks he would be throwing at her.

She was by no means a close combat fighter, but he didn't know that, so she used it to her advantage as hopefully, relying on her shadows to off balance him, her mind racing with 20 different outcomes, if only she had her sword, she could have the upper hand slightly, but for now she settled for controlling the shadows to yank him over to her, hoping he couldn't get away. 

[Elijah Quinn Rare]

Of course he was going to miss but he was more interested in her next move in dealing with the arrow. A simple dodge is good too, but that wasn't his fastest arrow. What he did not expect is for her to also possess the same power that Asher so wanted to acquire. The black tendrils she called out held him to the ground in an attempt to prevent him to move just so she could conveniently get the first strike. He tried to move with strength, but to no avail. So the only thing he could think off... was to repel the shadows. Elijah extended his arms towards the tendrils, hands wide as he casts a luminescent light in hopes that they would retract. The light would also blind Akemi and such light screen enabled for him to disappear once it's clear.

Elijah stood behind her with another arrow drawn, and shot another arrow once again. This time, the arrow split into three mid air, hoping to make contact with the spellcaster.

[Akemi Lancaster Rare]

She whirled around and put her hands out, the arrows stopping before hitting her, and redirected them back over. A telekinetic spell. It wasn't powerful enough to throw anything more than half her weight, but she could definitely use it if need be to repel small projectiles. She was pleasantly surprised to discover he was a photokinetic, though. "Not bad..." she mumbled to herself, snapping her fingers, a small ball of fire conjuring in her hands. She aimed it directly at him, but just before she threw it, she threw one of the fireballs at his feet, and the other, she split into two and threw them both at him.

She kept her distance though, as she felt the shadows curl around her hands, like a makeshift whip, calculating what he would do next. 

[Elijah Quinn Rare]

"An umbrakinetic and photokinetic. Interesting match up, am I right? You're not bad yourself."

Elijah spoke up, seamlessly dispersing his light arrows before they could touch him with a gesture of a hand. When she decided to throw balls of fire towards him, he was quick to dive to the side so he would not get burned, rolling over to the ground before halting himself with his knee. He huffed, drawing another arrow of light. It looks like long distance combat would not work, so it was better to create a distraction. An arrow was aimed at her but then he aimed towards the sky with several balls of light forming in front of him. His hand let go of the string, unleashing a volley of light arrows in a concave downward trajectory.

Immediately after that, he split the arrow into two blades and sprinted after her. 

[Akemi Lancaster Rare]

"A melee fighter as well." she deflected the light arrows with shadows, like a shield on her arm as she saw him charging at her. She didnt have time to dodge him, so she jumped back and to the side, her hands filling with purple energy. The perk of her Mystokinetic abilities, she could cast energy blasts, manifesting as purple energy and light in her hands.

She jumped behind him, shooting a bolt of violet light at his back, aiming to knock him over. She could feel the fatigue slowly creeping up on her, but not enough to slow her down. "You're a good fighter." she said, her hand filling with purple energy again, aiming to repeatedly blast him with the bolts, but every spell cast continued to wear her down slightly, and she couldn't keep casting so many spells in succession. 

[Elijah Quinn Rare]

"We're trained to make up for what we lack." He added as he followed along his volley of arrows towards her. He was charging at her, quite impressed when she protected herself with a darkness barrier. Though he had unleashed it too early, he could feel a bit of fatigue eating at him. He shouldn't have casted that much light at once, but that's what training is for. He was attempting to slash at her, expecting her to use that umbrakinesis of hers again to parry but instead, she had jumped to his behind to cast magic at him again. So she preferred to maintain her distance, which proved to be an inconvenience.

When she casted violet light at him, Elijah was quick to deflect the beam with his dual blades. He was panting but he had to do it fast and close the distance. One bolt after an another, he swerved it away approaching her until he was just a few feet apart. With a tightned grip at the handle, he was aiming to make a small cut to her skin until he tripped over a stone, causing him to fall forward towards her. 

If she didn't avoid him, he wound up on top of her with his hands resting on her wrist as if he had intended on trapping her to the ground... He blinked, making sure this was exactly the position he is seeing right now. "Sorry about that. You alright?"

[Akemi Lancaster Rare]

"Gah-!" she fell backwards with him, surprised at them tumbling backwards, her face heating up, her heart rate increasing slightly, her back stinging slight

She didn't hesitate as she smirked, using her non trapped hand to draw her knife and cut him, semi deeply for good measure, across his side and through his shirt.. "Oh, I'm feeling great," she said, wiggling out of his grip and backrolling to her feet, holding her hand out to help him up. "And that's game." she smiled at him slightly. "You're pretty good, sunshine, I'm very impressed."

She could still feel her cheeks slightly red, but she waved it off as embarrassment. The shadows had a playful presence behind her, as if they were...chuckling? She still held out her hand nonetheless to pull him up.

[Elijah Quinn Rare]

Elijah gulped. He had been staring at her longer than he should and she took advantage of the situation by making a cut in the side of his torso. It was short and painful, relieved to see that she didn't do it slow. "Ouch." He grinned as he helped himself with her hand. Smiling at her back, he would withstand the slight pain but it'll only get worse the more he'll leave it like that. "You're good too, but I won't let this loss haunt me."  A sigh parted his lips as he gazed in the direction of the Big House. "It'll take me a while, but I'm gonna head to the house to mend myself. You should rest up too. Want to meet up again sometime? I know it's not my business but... I think you're more than just a ghost."

He couldn't bring himself to what it was, but he was almost certain there was a spark between them in that moment. His cheeks were still warm and he huffed just to make it gone somehow. His heart was pounding against his chest too when they locked eyes, a feeling that was unfamiliar to him until now. 

[Akemi Lancaster Rare]

She crossed her arms. "I'll walk you there, if you like. Wouldn't want you to get mauled, sunshine." she flicked the blood off of her knife before sheathing it, walking over with her hands in her pockets. "Let me see the wound, I know a minor healing spell that could at least stop its bleeding." her face was neutral, as per usual, but her eyes could not hide that she was semi-remorseful and also rather concerned about his current state. "I owe you that, at least." 

The feeling hadn't completely subsided in her chest, as she took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Perhaps she was only admitting it to herself, but she had always...admired him. Always had some form of affectionate fond spot for him, seeing him around camp. She'd admit it to herself, but she would most certainly not admit it to him. 

She did look at the growing bloody stain on his shirt, though, wincing. "It looks pretty bad... you sure you're alright?"

[Elijah Quinn Rare]

The thought hadn't crossed his mind. He wanted to look cool in front of her and own up to his injury. That she inflicted as per the rule of their mock game. It's true that there are still monsters lurking in the forest, he thought he could be lucky in getting himself to the house without a problem. The pair of blades he had dropped from the ground earlier disappeared into thin air and he could feel the pick reappearing in his pocket. "Ironic. The ambulance is the one getting hurt, am I right?" A soft laugh parted his lips, only for his voice to halt and turn into an 'ow'. It felt nice to be shown some concern from a ghost. After she inspected the cut, he could only give her an abrupt nod. "Yes. I still have some energy left to defend myself against the monsters. If I'm lucky, I'll face some weak creature. Prefer my path to be smooth though."

Elijah winced as he trudged in the forest floor but it was only a couple of yards away when he almost tripped. A hand was clenched, upper body still as to not make the pain worst. And finally, he caved. "Want to help your sunshine boy and walk him there?" He asked politely, looking back to her. It was odd yet so sudden. Could be mistaken her kindness for flirting...?

[Akemi Lancaster Rare]

"I got nothing else to do, so why not?" she shrugged and walked over, walking along side him. She just strolled next to him, curious as to how he'd keep going. "Keep a hand on that injury, it doesn't look pretty." she chuckled, seeing him struggle. It was amusing to her, how quickly he had come undone, in a sense, from that cut. Such is a fascinating reaction from people. 

As she witnessed him almost trip, she had a smirk on her face. "Well, well, alright then." she examined him closely. "You want to lean on me? Might ease the pain from walking, a little." she was being polite, but nonetheless, she was genuinely concerned on how deep the cut was. "I'll walk next to you, whether you want to use me as a crutch or not. But don't expect me to baby you so much after a small spar like that," she teased, booping his nose with a smirk. "I can't just drag you around like a doll after every little cut."

[Elijah Quinn Rare]

Little does she know is that Elijah was more interested in her behavior in seeing him like this.

He already knew how to temporarily patch himself up but he just wanted to see how she would react when a camper is in danger. Though what he did was a bit exaggerating, pulling that stunt would be worth the spectacle. "Thank you." He offered his gratitude and took the liberty to wrap an arm around his shoulders. Smiling as their faces almost came to a close, he locked eyes with her once more. Maybe even a moment longer. "I am grateful for your kindness, Akemi. Turns out you're not so bad after all."

A hand was placed to his wound, clutching on the fabric of his shirt to apply pressure to it as the two of them sluggishly trekked across the forest floor. "You're kinda cute too, you know that?" He spoke suddenly with a boop to her nose in return. He sometimes doesn't hold back his thoughts but that is his way of getting out of his comfort zone.