When Carmen saw the cabin, she was amazed. It was beautiful. The antisocial girl grew excited as she began planning what kinds of plants she would grow next to the cabin. It was a nice size, with plenty of windows to let the sunlight in. She could even grow plants inside during the winter! Vines already crawled up the sides of the wooden cabin, making the building seem majestic.

Hearing that she had the place to herself was comforting. With no one living in the same cabin as her, Carmen could have some time alone and adjust to camp more at her own pace. Plus she wouldn't be inconveniencing anyone. However the fact that she had to be a counselor worried her. Hopefully, she didn't have too many responsiblities.

"Thanks for helping me out, Tobias. I'll just start unpacking my things. Hopefully I'll see you around later," She waved him goodbye before stepping into her new home. Carmen truly hoped she had someone to call a friend already. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all. The inside was practically barren. All the bedrooms were barren. The red haired girl chose a room at the back of the cabin. It made her feel cozy, and was different from the rest of them. It had more space, and more full length windows. Perfect for an indoor garden and place to read.

The flower girl then began to unpack her many personal items. It would take awhile, but Carmen was feeling motivated, so she didn't mind. First, she organized the essentials of day to day life: Clothes, and her bathroom things. Though, soon her energy wore out. There was still a suitcase and a half to get to, plus her backpack. Sighing, the daughter of Demeter went back to the front of the cabin to poke her head outside. Carmen wasn't sure what the party was all about, but then again, she didn't want to go and find out. Hesitantly, she stepped out onto the front, if only to see the party more clearly. By this time the party had expanded to be close to the new girl's front door. She could continue cleaning out her baggage, but curiosity got the best of her.

Calista found herself in a pathetic position. She could hear the blaring music from the Hephaestus cabin through her sniffles. Eventually, when she had had enough of her crying. She balled up a fist and slammed it down into her thigh. She did this three or four times until she was done crying. She stood up, placing a steadying hand on the door as her leg hurt quite a bit. She was walking towards the Aphrodite cabin when a boy with red hair flew over to her. She took a second to replay that though, because thinking it she found herself sounding insane. But no, he flew over to her and confronted her. She just prayed that he wasn’t one of Erin’s friends.

The boy called her miss, which was sweet asking if something was wrong. She definitely didn’t want to bring anything up about Erin so she just nodded. “I’m sorry, yeah everything is fine, I was just heading home that’s all.” She said chuckling a little when she examined how much of a mess she was. She examined the boy, noticing that he was certainly built like a demigod but seemed to have the kindness of a mortal. That’s what her mom had always said, that mortals were far kinder than any demigod, though the same went for any demigods raised by mortals for long enough. Kind of rendered her mother’s point moot. Calista found herself internally mocking her mother’s point now that she considered it, it made almost no sense. "It's just been a rough day, that's all." she said flipping the hair out of her face.

“Thank you though, my name is Calista, I’m a daughter of Aphrodite.” She said warmly greeting him, it was nice to have someone show some worry for you after what she had just ran through. It was somewhat idiotic in all fairness, but she still felt pain. She nodded along with the music while she waited for the redhead to answer her. She might’ve gone to the party had she not just had the experience she did, but regardless that was just the way things were. She pivoted shifting her weight onto her front leg. “You can walk me to my cabin if you want, I think I’ll be missing the party tonight.” She said motioning over to the cabin. She continued to walk towards her cabin until she reached the door, smiling up at Logan. “Thank you for asking if I was okay, I needed it."

Claire smiled and laughed, petting the top of Hircine's head as she took the wooden dolphin. "It iz belle, Roy," she said with a small smile. She examined the wooden dolphin. The dolphin was not the symbol of Posideon, but since they were in the water, she loved them all the same. The wood was smooth to the touch and she looked around, looking for a place to put the wooden dolphin so she couldn't break it. Finally, she just decided to hang out to it and let her hand fall down by her side, the wooden dolphin still clutched in it.

"How vas your trip?" Claire asked him, smiling up at him as she stroked the puppy's fur. Her French accent was coming out again because of her excitement and she couldn't suppress it very well. "I hope it was alright. It zeems az if you came back without harm or a..." For some reason her mind lost the word for it in English. "... uhhh..." She bit her lower lip and sighed before her face lit up when she remembered the word. "Scratch! Scratch. Zat is the word." She laughed lightly and stepped back away from him awkwardly. She crossed her hands in front of herself, gripping her wrist with her free hand. She stared carefully at the ground, her smile flitting across her face a little bit while looking up through her eyelashes at Roy. She was happy that Roy was back and safe, and now she could actually keep an eye on him again.

"Oh, the trip went well. Saved a few lives, slew a few monsters, all in a day's work." Roy replied modestly, sounding slightly nervous in tone, though he attempted to keep it covert.

"I've missed it here, though. You always forget just how beautiful Camp Half-Blood is 'til you leave for awhile." Roy added wistfully, smiling softly to himself.

"Now, what have I missed? What've you been up to, Sea-Biscuit?" He asked with a humorous smile, moving both hands to his hoodie pockets.

Claire giggled at the first part of his story-telling. The boy did not go into much detail about his adventures, but that was alright. She didn't mind the short synopsis as long as she was able to talk to him. "I bet you also forgot how loud it was as well," Claire said, looking toward the DJ turntables. "Arianna has chosen pretty good music, I will admit."

"You haven't missed much. A new student arrived today, son of Jupiter, Zeus's counterpart," Claire said. "Erin gave him a tour, being the ray of sunshine that she is, and I do not know where he disappeared to afterwards. A newer girl who just arrived at the camp a couple months ago tried to save me from drowning and then Jericho had to save her from drowning... and that's about it. Oh! And Archer and Gideon got into another fight. Again." She smiled at him.

As if counting off the number of events that had occurred in his absence, Roy grinned. "Ok, new camper, that's pretty interesting - and a Roman! Another camper almost drowned trying to stop you from drowning...not uncommon. Archer and Gideon getting into a fight? Well, that's typical, now isn't it?" Roy smiled. But it wouldn't take a mind-reader to see that Roy's eyes, his gaze, was hardened -- frigid. What did happen on his quest?

"Well, while we're at a party and I'm just now seeing you again. Could I get you a drink?" Roy offered politely, inclining his head in her direction.

As Claire watched Roy carefully, she noticed his hardening gaze after he spoke of Gideon and Archer being "typical". That was quite unusual as Roy was normally so kind toward most of the people in the camp. She looked into his eyes. "Are you alright, Roy?" she asked softly, examining his face. She lifted her hands up to cup his face, unfortunately having to get on her toes to do so. "What exactly happened on your quest?"

Roy wouldn't deny the chilling sensation that seemed to run down his back and through his entire body as Claire cupped his face in her delicate hands. Why was his heart beating this fast...? Was he ever this predictable?

"Nothing you need to worry about, Sea-Biscuit. I'm just a bit tired, is all - had a long day. Buuut, my offer for a drink still stands. If you want, that is." Roy quickly switched the subject, stammering slightly as he delivered his last sentence. It was true...smooth subtlety was never his strong suit...might need to ask Simon for a few tips later.

Claire dropped her hands from his face, a little insulted that he didn't want to entrust her with that information. But she wouldn't hold onto it very long. She smiled delicately and said, "Sure. Of course." She wrung her hands together and muttered under her breath, "I could sure use one right now." She looked up at him and said, "Will you just get me a beer? I'm not looking for anything too fancy." She chuckled.

Roy picked up the words she had muttered quietly, raising a single brow and smirking in amusement. Claire was always a very 'proper' (in his mind) girl. To hear her asking for a beer was both highly amusing and somewhat comforting at the same time.

"But of course, m'lady." Roy bid with a mock bow and a grin before sauntering off to brave through the crowd of demigods and satyrs, all the while being met with various calls of "Hey, it's Roy!" "Iceman's back!" "You grew a beard?"

Finally after nearly five minutes had passed, Roy could be seen through the midst of the crowd, holding two solo posts aloft as though they were his coat of arms to herald. Looking slightly disheveled but otherwise unharmed, Roy held one of the cups out for her to take, that same soft, sincere smile plain along his features.

"...And I thought Empousai were bad." He commented, motioning his head towards the still-dancing crowd.

Claire giggled and took the beer, taking a sip. She smiled at him as he motioned toward the crowd and agreed with the nod of a head. She sipped again carefully, watching Roy's eyes. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. She took a deep breath and said, "Roy. Please tell me what happened on the trip. I know you well and I know you're lying about nothing I need to worry about." She reached over and gently touched his shoulder. "You can tell me anything."

Gently, Roy took the hand that rested on his shoulder and held it in his own hand, as if trying to warm it (though, much to Roy's resentment, he knew it would only cool her).

"Can...can we go down to the lake? I'll tell you there, but...not here." Roy requested, an imploring look in his eyes confirming his sincerity. In truth, he'd rather not share what had happened at all -- but with Claire, well...there was a certain air about her, something that made her so intoxicatingly convincing. He just had to.

Claire glanced down at her hand and looked back up at Roy. His hand was cool in comparison to her slightly warmer hand. She nodded carefully, her blue eyes wide and curious. She stood up and took his hand in hers. She proceeded to pull him out the door, heading toward the lake. At least she would be more comfortable in her own domain.

The sky was beginning to get darker and they began going toward the lake. They passed by the Posideon Cabin as they made their way to the lake. She let go off his hand, the water beginning to call to her. Being bare foot as it was, she made her way down to the lake, sticking her toes in the water. She smiled happily and looked back at Roy. "So what did you need to talk about?"

Roy initially was wordless, merely crouching down for a moment to scratch Hircine behind his ear, the large dog apparently pleased by the sensation, squinting his beady eyes to a close until Roy relinquished his hand, standing back up to face Claire.

"I suppose..I'm just feeling a little homesick is all. I mean, you look at...Griffin, or Simon, they talk to their parent all the time. But me...Boreas...was never a part of my life until I was already a teenager - and even then it was just to claim me as his own. Not even like...a child, but like a piece of property. In a way...maybe I wish I wasn't his son. My...well, I suppose, step-father. He was more of a dad to me than Boreas ever was. And, in a way, I miss that. Being out, on a quest. Kinda reignites those feelings." Roy let out a heavy sigh, hardly choosing to look at Claire at all.

"You must think me a wreck, don't you?" Roy asked with a small, hollow chuckle, looking out over the shimmering waters of the lake - looking for something to give him comfort.

"I never think of anyone as a wreck," Claire said quietly, not looking at Roy. She knew exactly how he felt, being Posideon's daughter and only realizing it a few days before coming here all those years ago. He was never a part of her life until then, but still... "Our fathers, no matter how much we don't know it, always watched out for us when we were younger. They watched over everyone, but they watched over us importantly."

She pushed herself forward into the water, walking directly on top of it. Taking two ballet steps forward, she maneuvered herself more out into the lake. Spinning in a circle, she smiled, tilting her head back. "All of us have our issues, Roy, and it is our burden to bear. But if you have someone that can share those burdens, it lightens the load to be more tolerable." Spinning around in a circle, she begin dancing across the surface of the lake, smiling as she went. As her feet brushed across the surface, ripples spread out, creating a lovely pattern. She paused out towards the middle of the lake before making her way closer again. "Everyone has someone or something to lighten the load. I have my dancing and water. What do you have?" She asked it philosophically, as she already knew, but she was curious if he would respond the same.

At first, Roy was silent; entranced by watching Claire dance atop the lake as though it were her own stage. His eyes lit up slightly, feeling as though all his troubles were starting to melt away...it wouldn't last - he knew that much. Sooner or later, his own worries would return, ready to swallow him whole. But for now. Well...everything was alright.

Roy let one foot hover at the water's edge, easing his foot down slowly. The instant the toe of his shoe hit the water, a sheen of ice began to form atop the lake, just thick enough to allow one to comfortably stand.

Moving his other foot atop the spreading patch of ice, Roy ensured that only the area around his general person was frozen - leaving the rest of the undisturbed liquid for Claire to dance on.

Roy took to approaching her, new ice forming each step ahead of him and dissipating each step behind, leaving him on a constant, reforming patch.

"Well...I suppose I have whittling - that seems to make me feel better, give me something to do with my hands. Or music." Roy replied thoughtfully, exploring his memories to answer her question.

"Or talking to whoever will listen." Roy added after a beat of silence, closing the distance until he was merely a foot from her, a soft, if sad smile still plain on his features.

"You're a beautiful dancer." He commented quietly, as though making the observation embarrassed him. "I can see why children of Poseidon love the water so. You look more content there than on land."

Claire laughed. "I suppose you do," she said with a smile. She watched him as he approached. Those weren't quite the answers she was thinking of, but she had come close. She noticed the water began to freeze and she smiled as he walked out onto the lake.

He made the comment about being a beautiful dancer and she sighed. "I kind of have to be, right? My mother forcing me to dance as she did." She took a deep breath. "Not to make this more depressing." She laughed. "We are much more comfortable in water than on land. It's just what makes us... us. As you are more comfortable with cold, Iceman," she teased with a smirk on her face.

Spinning around the water once again, she brushed her feet out, creating beautiful ripples in the waters once more, before turning to face Roy again. She sat down on top of the water, her dress spreading out in the ripples around her. "You wanna sit?" she asked, patting the top of the water.

Roy winced slightly as Claire brought up her mother. He wouldn't claim to know everything about Claire's childhood before Camp Half-Blood...but from what he did know - it wasn't exactly happy. "Well, someone's gotta appreciate winter. Guess dear old dad made sure Christmas was enjoyable." Roy joked with a chuckle.

Wordlessly accepting her offer, Roy eased himself into a sitting position, the patch of ice below him extending just enough to comfortably give him space to sit. He let his fingertips dance beneath the surface of the unfrozen water, the cool, wet sensation both comfortable and calming at the same time.

"I can see why you like coming out here. The water is very...relaxing. Simon would probably compare it to how a stream is a cause-and-effect metaphor. But it's just water: cool, clear, transparent. Much like ice." Roy commented, his gaze fixed on the rippling of the water's surface, as if finding solace in its disorderly rhythm.

"Depends on the ice," Claire said, moving her fingers over the water. The water rippled again. "You can have cloudy ice, pure ice, multicolored ice..." She grinned a little bit. "I seem to know more about ice that you do." She laughed softly before moved her fingers back and forth, causing a wave like effect in the water.

"The main reason I like coming out here is because I feel like I can talk to my father," Claire said, taking a deep breath. Because of the ice on the water, her breath came out as an icy cloud, but she wasn't cold. "I know he almost never listens, but it's nice to know he's there... It's nice to know someone is watching over you... you know?"

"Well, well, look who's been reading up on the arctic!" Roy responded in an easygoing tone, chuckling at her words.

Noting her icy breath, Roy moved to unzip and remove his hoodie, holding it out for her to take. "In case you get cold...I forget I have a tendency of doing that to people." Roy offered, his words and expression kind, but there was the slightest hint at resentment as he finished the sentence; as though the nature of his powers disgusted him in a way. How could he be close to someone if all they did was freeze...?

"As for someone watching over you, well. There is a comforting effect to it. To not feel as though you're alone or without aid. We each come from broken families, were born into them. I suppose it makes each time we connect with them that much more, well, special." Roy finished in an almost wistful tone, letting his eyes flutter shut for just a brief moment.

Suddenly, Roy was interrupted by the sound of his cell-phone vibrating, causing him to grimace slightly at the interruption. Fishing through the pocket of his jeans, he pulled out his phone, the screen flashing bright with the word "Mom" plastered on the phone.

Knowing that ignoring a call from his mother would be a fate worse than spitting in Zeus' eye, Roy let out a deep sigh. "I'm afraid I've gotta go for a bit Sea-Biscuit. Mom calls, and I'd rather live past twenty-five if possible. But...I'll be seeing you around!" Suddenly, acting more on impulse than logic, Roy leaned in and planted a quick kiss on her cheek before quickly making an ice trail leading back to shore, hurrying to stand just as a deep blush was settling on his cheeks. "Oh! You can keep the jacket! Lord knows it'll be getting colder soon." Roy called from the pathway before fast-walking to the shore and disappearing from view.

Watching him disappearing, Claire smiled softly, touching her hand to her face where he had kissed her. A creeping red flush ran up on her cheeks and she bit her lower lip, watching him disappear. She took the jacket and pulled it in close around her, watching the ice boy disappear over the lake with the trail behind him.

"Au revoir," she murmured quietly before making her way off the lake and heading back toward her cabin.

Colt Malow Winger

Hephaestus Cabin ~ Camp Half-Blood

Colt smiled as she practically tripped over everything and nearly ruined the entire set just so she could get closer to him. He made sure to brace his hands on her hips, hoping that she wouldn't fall and hurt herself. He was luckily he didn't have a shirt on; the beer would have ruined any shirt that he would have had. He smirked at the nick-name. He liked it about as much as she liked "Princess"... He smiled softly after she kissed him and proceeded to listen as she went off on a quick information shoot about what happened while he was getting asked a bunch of questions about the damn horse he saw outside of Gideon's cabin earlier. He had missed quite a bit. A bunch of new kids and something goin' on with Ky. He smiled toward the ground as he listened, not looking up toward her until she was done talking.

"Am I in most of your dreams, sweetheart?" he teased lightly, moving up closer to wrap his arms around her waist and rest his chin on her shoulder. He didn't bother answering the question about the song choice, as he didn't much care what she played since she always played pretty damn good music. His light colored eyes looked out over the floor, scanning the area as he recognized a few familiar faces in the crowd, none that he would actually like to talk to. He gently kissed Arianna's neck before he heard a gagging noise and one of his sisters yelled, "No PDA!"

"Fuck off!" Colt yelled back at her, flipping her the bird as he moved his arms tighter around Arianna. Slipping his hands sneakily into her pocket, he pulled out the pill bottle and held it up to her face. "You shouldn't be forgetting about these, Princess. You know they help you, no matter how much you hate to admit it." He smiled at her, shaking the bottle in front of her face as he backed up a little bit. He pulled up the bottle to examine it. Kiran obviously brought it, as shown by the fact that she was still standing by and had been there when he showed up. He shook his head and let out a sigh. "I wish you'd stop forgetting. It's hard for me to remember to remind you." He chuckled under his breath and popped off the cap of the pill bottle. He pulled out two pills, took her hand, and gently placed them in her hand, enclosing her fingers around the two small things. Patting the top of her hand, he backed up again, looking over the whole crowd.

"You're spinning some sweet tracks," he said, changing the topic so she couldn't convince him to take the pills back. He glanced at the light show that suddenly disappeared. He didn't take much notice of it, and he didn't think that the people on the dance floor did either. He moved forward again, leaning up against one of the tables so he could be in front of her and see her face again. Hiking up his shorts slightly, as they kept falling down without a belt, he said, "So what's this about Ky? I heard she got back from her quest, but nothing much more than that..."

Logan took it in stride as Calista brushed off whatever was upsetting her. He found it odd that he'd met not one, but two other redheads at camp. They weren't so rare, but at Camp Jupiter they were in short supply. To find another fellow pale-skinned and freckled ginger among the demigods here was a breath of fresh air. He followed Calista easily, his long strides eating two or three of her much shorter ones, forcing him to slow his usual deliberate pace. He nodded when she mentioned having a rough day, not an uncommon occurrence for a demigod, unfortunately.

"Everyone has one of those, don't worry though. From the little I've seen of this place, it has more than enough to brighten any day." He walked with her until she stopped in front of a rather.. decorated cabin. It made sense considering she was a daughter of Aphrodite. She didn't exude the usual obsessions with beauty that he'd come to associate with the brood, but the goddess of love had many forms. Logan remembered the goddess fondly, one of the few that did, for she had personally given he and Ashley an anniversary gift for their first year as a couple. That day was one of the best memories Logan possessed and he clung to it fiercely whenever one of his episodes of melancholia washed over him.

He stalwartly avoided thinking of how his relationship had ended. His first day at camp didn't need that storm cloud overhead.

"Hello Calista," Logan responded with a friendly smile, stopping as she did, "I'm Logan, Logan Murdock. Son of Jupiter." He shook her hand amicably and stood, his feet planted shoulder length apart and his hands behind his back, into an at ease position. The habits of being a centurion were hard to break, after all. "My pleasure, honestly. It's against my nature to leave someone alone that's upset. I know I hate it when I have something I feel as if I have no one to talk to about, or worse, simply can't." He looked over to the mob of people at Hephaestus cabin, noting the over the top antics of some and the unrivaled revelry that was ensuing. The deep bass of EDM thrummed through the ground, almost like a pulse, under the soles of Logan's Celestial bronze plated combat boots. "Any reason in particular? I hear Ky'vie's parties are all the rage here and the food is unmatched." He nearly flushed at his own mention of the head of Hephaestus's cabin's name. His control over his blush reflex was being sorely tested today.

---

---

~The Partay~

Jericho's brow furrowed at Erin's tone, wondering what had made her especially bitchy tonight. His mind flashed to the episode with Calista, and although he couldn't blame Erin for being on edge, he could blame her for not telling him what in the name of Tartarus had exactly happened. His friend had completely brushed it aside, not showing the slightest bit of gratitude or even offering an obtuse explanation for the recent fiasco. He would have been mollified with a simple It's a long story or I really don't want to talk about it, but to completely dismiss it, and in turn Jericho, just irked him to the core.

Just to be a bit spiteful, a nimble finger came out, hooked around the drink Erin was about to sip from once more, and spilled it onto the ground. He shrugged away her fiery expression. His words sounded almost bored as he answered her, "Your time ain't worth much tonight, babe. Let alone a present." He turned away from her and stepped to the side, looking to find greener pastures. Addressing Grif now, his smile was genuine. Reaching inside his jacket, he held out the plainly wrapped present, nearly a foot and a half in length.

"This, my friend, is your gift. You'll figure out what it does when the time comes, but don't worry, it won't disappoint. Also.." making sure his back was to Erin, his hand slipped into the other deep coat pocket, bringing out the four inch rectangle, wrapped in the same brown gift wrap as Grif's bowie knife. Now his voice crept to a whisper only Grif would hear. "This Erin's gift. Not sure I really want to see her anymore tonight, she's gotten even on my nerve. It's a silver bookmark and tell her not to throw away the receipt taped around it. She can redeem the code online on the Amazon website for the Game of Thrones series, up to the last season. Give it to her when you two have a moment, alright? Just don't let her know it's from me. Don't want to show anymore kindness to the she-devil and get even more fed up with the lack of gratitude."

With that, he nodded to Grif as he clapped him on the shoulder, and bluntly ignored Erin as he wandered off towards the general direction of Arianna. Perhaps she could bring up his soured mood, she always seemed to be able to. He melted into the crowd too quickly for Erin to say or do anything in retaliation to his little jibe.

They had, at the least for the night, dropped off the broken weapons outside Ky'vie's workshop, that way they did at least one productive thing for the night. While Aella went off to Gods' know where, Archer leaned up against the bar, looking out over the dance floor. They had arrived pretty late; the party was already going went they got in, and he had seen Em heading down to the stables with a new kid when they were walking up here. He didn't have very high hopes for the party if Em left, but he had changed his mind when he walked inside. That boy must've been pretty damn special for Em to leave in the middle of a party like this...

Gideon, on the other hand, looked like he was about to be sick. He was fairly pale and was stiffly gripping the edge of the bar to make sure he didn't fall over. His anxiety was racing through his mind, his worry controlling his thoughts, as he began to think back to what he said about Aella. Archer seemed not to notice this, but Gideon couldn't help but voice his thoughts out loud to his normally attentive and helpful friend. "Do you think I was too harsh on her? Calling her weak with the judging Grecians thing?"

"Nope," Archer stated, popping his P loudly. Pushing his body weight down onto the back of his arms, he felt the muscles in his shoulders pop and he sighed with relief, rolling them around. "Literally, the only reason for her most likely coming here with us was to see the damn blonde that is..." His voice faded off as he squinted his eyes toward the DJ booth. "...seems to be flirting and necking with our lovely DJ up in the booth."

Gideon let out a laugh and turned his head toward the DJ booth, looking at Colt up there. But before he could shout any rude comments, ones that he knows Colt wouldn't be able to ignore, Aella walked back over, two freshly opened beers in her hands. He smiled carefully, almost warily, at her as he took the beer from her hand. Archer did the same, but acting more aloof as he leaned up against the bar and took a swig of the beer. He swooshed it around in his mouth before swallowing, keeping an eye on the dance floor. He did notice that Aella looked awkward and uncomfortable and hid a smirk behind his beer. No matter what face he was putting on in the cabin, the girl was gorgeous, but she tended slightly toward the bitchy end of the female spectrum. Awkward was not her thing.

Gideon watched Aella curiously as she apologized for her behavior back in the cabin, and when she began to actually apologize, Archer turned his dark eyes back down toward her with a small smile on his face. She kissed Gideon's cheek first, which he just gave a small half smile to, but she lingered a bit longer with Archer, which was a curious thing. Archer's neck turned red and he took another sip of his beer when Gideon proceeded to say, "It's alright. Both of us are a little... hard headed. You can always have a second chance with me... little sis." He laughed at the end.

"And no one said you were a flirty bitch," Archer stated, pointing a finger at her around his beer. "Just clearing that up." He let out a small smile and watched the dancers again as Gideon shook his head.

"If you wanted to see Colt, by the way..." Gideon began.

But before he could finish, Archer quickly cut him off, setting his beer down on the bar, and holding his hand out to Aella. "Would you like to dance?" he asked, an adorable half smile on his face. "It's only polite since it is your first time at a party here." Gideon rolled his eyes and sank back up against the bar, while Archer waited for his answer.

"You know, if you pulled that shite in Ireland, you'd probably be lynched." Griffin declared with a 'serious' incline of his head, though his tone and general body language remained casually playful.

His attention taken by the white-headed hunter, Griffin cocked a brow as he received the long knife Jericho handed to him. "You know, you never disappoint mate." His tone was almost childishly excited, a wide grin on his features as he examined the package closer, trailing his fingers against the modest packaging, feeling the cool metal underneath the thin layer of wrapping. Even from the minor touch, Griffin could sense something about it...vibrating with infixed power that felt more like an electrical current. Whatever enchantment this knife seemed to possess, it certainly had to be rare.

Wordlessly taking Erin's gift next, Griffin nodded once, mentally noting Jericho's specific instructions before deftly hiding the much smaller present in his jacket pocket, his movements dexterous enough that hardly anyone would be able to notice something was in his hand at all.

"Aye...You got it." He finally said with a small half-smile before watching the hunter walk off, seeking out Arianna -- boy, he'd have fun there.

Artfully spinning the Bowie knife about in his hand, Griffin's smile never left his face, the giddiness of his present once more bubbling to the surface. "You gotta admit, lass, the man's perceptive." Griffin noted with a small wink, now casually holding the dagger in his off-hand until he could put it somewhere safer in his cabin.

"Now then, I think you're in need of another drink..." Grif added, haphazardly switching the subject as his gaze fell to the small, yet noticeable puddle of liquid on the ground in-between them, staining the grass. "Doubt it's doing the grass much good, but you never know - Wine-Lord could be ecstatic right now."