Lang Monyethabeng and Emerald Armsted
~Camp Half-Blood~
Hearing the crash, Emerald immediately knew who it was. She swore under her breath and scooted off the dance floor. She knew she shouldn't have let that dog run off without bringing the ball back. She could control light. How could she not control her own pup?! She accidentally bumped into someone. She muttered out an apology before making her way in the direction of the crash. She saw the chips scattered all over the floor and she let out a sigh. She saw Aquina nearby with a guy that she had never seen here before and she knelt down to get on the floor. Aquina let out a high pitched bark before sliding across the floor to crash into Em's stomach.
"You naughty pup," Em said, hugging the cute little thing to her chest. She looked over and saw a fox near the guy as well. "Decided to bring a friend to the party, huh, Aquina?" She smiled at the fox and walked over to the guy, kneeling down next to him to help pick up. Aquina trotted alongside her before plopping her butt down next to the fox once more. Em knelt across from the young man, sweeping up the chips he was missing.
"I'm sorry about that... and this," Em said to him, gesturing to the chips. "I guess I should have been watching her. I didn't realize how slick the floor was." She gave a soft smile, pushing the chips into a small pile. Leaning back on her heels, she examined the area around them, looking for any extra chips. Aquina, unbeknownst to Em, had moved and started eating an extra chip lying nearby. Em narrowed her eyes at the pup, who just looked up at her with wide eyes and continued to eat. Shaking her head, she said, "I don't know why I thought it was a good idea to rescue her, but I love her all the same."
Tipping her head to the side, she eyed the young man in front of her. He was cute, too cute to be from here. Well... that's not necessarily true. They did have the son of Venus here and he was pretty hot... minus his bad attitude. "I don't think I've seen you around before. Are you new?" she asked curiously.
Lang was sweeping up the chips when he felt an outwards force from behind him. He steadied himself against the floor. He glanced back to look at the aggressor when he was greeted by a girl he had never seen before. The lights on the floor danced wildly around her illuminating every curve and contour on her body. He found himself at a loss for words, stammering out something that sounded like a couple of words when she apologized for bumping into him. She knelt down across from him and the wolf trotted to her, plumping down beside Zuko. She apologized for the mess and the wolf, but Lang was caught.
The lights in the ground that had led him to Zuko and these same lights dancing all around this girl, they were hers. He found himself staring at her before snapping himself out of it and continuing to clean up the mess. He eyed Zuko with eyes that said something along the lines of 'I'm still mad at you... But thank you.'
"That's alright, I'm sure Zuko here disturbed your beautiful wolf pup." Lang said with a hearty chuckle, his voice warm and smooth like pouring out some hot chocolate. Zuko watched Aquina began eating chips, eliciting a glare from the girl he had just met. Lang had just met, he found himself laughing at the display until he realized Zukoo started eating as well. He just stared and the fox made a noise closely resembling a laugh.
He was asked if he was new here by the girl, he looked up meeting her gaze and held it. "Yeah I actually just got in a couple minutes ago, I've never known anywhere but home my whole life." Lang said nervously eying her, but he held the gaze nonetheless. He took a second to realize how nervous he was, he glanced down at his hands and his fingers were shaking, nearly unnoticeable but there he was, shaking. Lang had stood before lionness' and stood his ground with ease, and yet here he was kneeling in front of a girl who had kindly helped him clean up a mess,
shaking.
"My name's Lang, It's really nice to meet you." He said, once more warmly gazing back into her eyes. He realized he didn't even mean to look into her eyes yet they were drawing him in, he couldn't help himself.
Em smiled at the floor when he said that his fox, Zuko, had disturbed Aquina. It might have been true, but Em knew that Aquina got into a lot of trouble, with or without a fox present, so she almost knew that most of this stuff was Aquina's fault. The guy had a gorgeous voice and she turned to see the fox go over and start eating the chips as well. She giggled when the fox laughed at the poor boy's expression.
"It's always great to go on an adventure, isn't it?" she said in a comment to him never leaving home for the longest time. "You can never be stuck in one spot. Everything must keep moving forward and changing." Proceeding to get back down onto her knees, since she knew at some point her balance would give out and she would fall on her butt, she met his gaze carefully. "I'm Emerald, but most people here call me Em. Or Gem. Or Emmie. I really don't mind any of them."
Placing her hands on the floor she pushed herself up to her feet, shaking slightly. She knew she shouldn't have worn the boots. She had struggled with walking with them all the time. Why did she decide to wear them now? Aquina, now finished with her little snack, gave a small yip to Zuko before running over to Em and pawed at her leg. Em laughed and reached down to pick up the little pup and set her on her shoulder.
With her flashing light show still going for the dance floor, it was a little hard to see what Lang looked like, but she could tell he was fit. And from his accent, he was definitely not from the U.S. She held out her hand to help him up. Aquina, feeling the shift in weight from the shoulder, moved carefully across Em's neck to the other shoulder and sat down once again. "So where you from?" Aquina, who had decided that this would be the perfect time to chase one of the lights, decided to jump from Em's shoulder and chase the lights on the dance floor. Em cringed when one of her sharp, teeny claws scratched her, but it wasn't that bad. "And whose child are you? My bet is on Aphrodite or Ares. You just have that look about you. Or Athena." She smiled at him, her hand still outstretched.
He was told that it was always great to go on an adventure and Lang smiled. The girl had no way of knowing his past, unless that was something other demigods could do, he didn't actually know if it was or not. But regardless he found himelf agreeing with her. "I'd have to say you're right, this has definitely been the most exciting time of my life." Lang said with a grin. He noticed that her voice had an air of innocence to it, something about her, maybe it was the atmosphere but whenever she spoke lightning bolts went off in his head, and the words were etched into his memory.
"I think being stuck in one spot is alright, as long as you have people to share it with." Lang responded honestly. Zuko darted around wherever the lights were, pouncing on his luminescent prey whenever he made it there on time. "Em, I like that name." Lang said happily, a green gemstone it suited her, though he couldn't really tell why he felt this way. Em offered him a helping hand to get up but not before asking him another question. She asked him where he was from.
"Well really, I'm an amalgamation of locations. My mother is from the UK, but I've never been there and I was born an riased in Cape Town South Africa, I was a tour guide there since I turned 16." Lang said happily, it was definintely a job people could be envious of, one that many had told him thBut it wasn't something he would put his stock in to do the rest of his life. Aquina and Zuko seemed to be having a good time yipping at one another. When Aquina joined Em on her shoulder, Zuko followed suit running up Lang's back, into his coat and out the shoulder, his head popping out beside Lang. He took her hand and felt it once more, the thunderstrike in his mind. She helped pull him up, but Lang was a pretty big guy, he felt her already somewhat unsteady posture glancing down at the pair of boots she was wearing and once he was somewhat stood up he braced her, placing a gentle hand on the small of her back and another on her forearm. Funnily enough, it would've looked like they were performing a tango to anyone looking from the outside in.
He slowly lowered his gaze down to her eyes and stammered out an apology, releasing his hand from her lower back and stepping away, but his hand on her forearm lingered for just a moment longer. He quickly realized he had almost completely missed the other question he was asked and smirked. "My dad is actually Apollo, god of music and sunlight, among other things." Lang said his grin was beaming, but his hands were still shaking.
It was around this time that Lang's idea hatched. He motioned her towards the piano, which they were already near and sat down on the bench, motioning for her to do the same. His hands gracefully danced along the keys in tune with the song as he leant over, mere inches from her and asked: "Whose daughter would you be then? To follow suit with your example, I suppose I could pin you as a daughter of Zeus, maybe.. Although Aphrodite seems the most likely." He said remembering how her gaze had drawn him in.
Cape Town, South Africa. An interesting place to grow up, but Em didn't say anything about it. She knew that if he would have ever met her father, her father would have definitely disapproved of him immediately, just from where he grew up. Her cheeks turned bright red when he steadied her with a hand on her waist and one on her forearm. His hands were warm... either that or she was extremely hot and the heat just transfered. She grinned when he stammered out the apology and she shook her head. "No it's alright. I'm just a moron for wearing these shoes again. I know I can't walk in them, so why bother wearing them, right?"
She was a little surprised that it was Apollo for his godly parent, but he was so gentle that she wasn't too surprised. He seemed to have the attitude of a healer. When he went and sat down at the piano, she walked over and sat down next time, smiling as he began to play. She watched his fingers with wide eyes. She wasn't much of a musician. She was more of a painter, but it always fascinated her to watch someone play an instrument with such skill that Lang was showing.
She laughed softly when he said "Aphrodite." She shook her head. "No, I don't think I could ever be a daughter of Aphrodite. Remind me to introduce you to Colt later and you'll see why." Shaking out her hair to fall over her shoulders better, she said, "I'm the daughter of Iris, goddess of the rainbow." To prove her point a little bit, she touched in between two keys on the piano, right on the gap, and projected light into it. The light filtered through, filling every gap and crevice on the keys. Glowing with a soft yellow light, the keys now lit up Lang's face a little better and she smiled at him. "See?"
Aquina, tired of chasing the dancing lights came back over and pawed at her leg again. Em shook her head at the dog, giggling, as she picked up the pup and placed her on top of the piano. For the first time all night, Aquina actually sat and watched both humans with curosity. She didn't move. Em narrowed her eyes at her suspiciously but turned back to Lang. "I think she's a pretty good parent. Gave me the ability to light up anyone's day." She snickered at her own joke.
Lang noticed her expression as his fingers fell on each note and smiled, he felt warm for whatever reason. He had never heard of the goddess Iris, though that being said, he had only heard of about ten or so gods from his mother and even then the information he had on them was sketchy at best. He found himself improvising flairs for the musical piece he was performing, going the extra mile for whatever reason. It was something about her that was dragging a part of Lang out that was better than usual. She laughed when he mentioned that she could be a daughter of Aphrodite inciting a blush from Lang, one hopefully she would miss.
He continued to play, noticing her hair that had fallen over her shoulders in a seemingly perfectly arranged way. She placed a single finger in between the C and D key on one of the lower octave's and light beemed out from all of the keys washing Lang in what felt like the light from the sun. He marvelled at it for a brief moment, his playing growing quieter before he stopped altogether staring into the light. It was something he wasn't sure how to describe, but it held him on that moment like nothing else.
"That's incredible Em." Lang said baffled by the lights. He was snapped out of his trance by the wolf pup that jumped up onto Em and she placed her on the piano. Lang looked at the wolf pup, who seemed to be giving Lang a bit of a glare, Lang felt like he understood and laughed a little. Zuko found his way beside Lang before climbing up and onto his lap snuggling in and laying there, seems like the wolf pup had tired him out. He found himself snickering at Em's joke as soon as she's said it.
"Well you've definitely made my night." Lang said quietly leaning back. He looked at Em and felt like he saw so much, she seemed so open. "Here, let me show you something." Lang said taking her hand and helping her up and off of the piano bench, waking up Zuko in the process. Zuko climbed back onto Lang's shoulder before making his way to Em's, lightly licking her cheek and curling himself onto her shoulder. Lang lead the girl outside behind the cabin where they were alone. "My mother is a daughter of Hecate and with some help from my dad, I learned to do this." He said letting go of her hand and taking a couple steps backwards.
He shifted into the form of a lion, circling around his own immediate area and shaking his mane for a few brief moments. He kept this form long enough for Em to get a good look before changing back into himself, albeit shirt slightly torn. "Ah, damn I really need to get better at that, this happens sometimes." He said examining his now tattered shirt, thank god he packed a change of clothes.
Em smiled proudly when Lang looked at her light with awe and wonder. That's what she lived for, honestly. She always wanted to surprise someone new every day, or at least do something different every day. She blushed lightly when he said that she had made his night and she took back the lights, reeling them in with the tip of her finger as she had spread them out. Her fingertip glowed for a brief moment before disappearing and she dropped her hand back down by her side.
She was disappointed when he stopped playing, but that immediately left when he took her hand and helped her up. She smiled at Zuko, who came over to rest on her shoulder and she quickly whistled to Aquina as they made their way outside. Aquina jumped down off the piano and padded after them, looking up at Lang curiously. He took her outside, where the light was fading from the area, and she looked around. Most of the people were out in front of the cabin, talking and dancing, or inside, drinking and such. In the back, there was no one.
She watched with interest as he explained who his mother was after letting go of her hand. Tipping her head curiously to the side, she watched with wonder and excitement as he shifted into a gigantic lion. A little surprised, she took a step back, staring at him. It was an amazing talent, one that she had not seen before. Many people had control over the elements here, but it was rare to see someone who could shift shapes.
"Wow," she murmured quietly as he changed back into his normal self. She smiled softly at the ground when his clothes became torn. "I'm sure with some practice and help from here, you will," she said a little bit louder. "That's how I'm able to control my powers without, you know, blowing anything up." She chuckled to herself. She walked closer to him, hugging her arms tight around her. "That was amazing. I wish I could do something like that," she told him.
Lang chuckled, noticing that she was impressed, he laughed and gazed back into her eyes. He noticed her hugging herself, she seemed cold. "I would offer you my shirt, but well.." He said laughing a little at the torn mess it had made. "Come here." He said, embracing her in a hug. He caught the smell of her hair, which was both beautiful and relaxing. "My powers," Lang began "the things I can do they're all well and good, but you've got something incredible. You can be the light in people's lives." Lang said taking her hand in his, cupping it as if to show her something.
"You create art with your very being, it's amazing." Lang said his hands resting on hers. Zuko's ears perked up glancing down at Lang and retaining his perch on her shoulder, it seemed Lang had already been abandonned for the much comfier Em. But that was alright. For the first time in Lang's life he felt as if he was in full view of the sun, even though it was night time. The sun had dipped below the crest of the horizon and yet here he was basking in the glow of the warmness.
"It's pretty interesting, you know the chances of me meeting you tonight." Lang said gazing up at the stars, if he hadn't gotten into that fight back in South Africa, or if the tourist that he fought had come even days later, who knows what would've happened. "I'm really glad I met you Em." Lang said just barely above a whisper. He realized that he was still holding her hand, but this time he didn't let go he gently let his fingers wrap around hers while gazing at the night sky.
"I can actually shapeshift into a couple animals, an elephant, a bison, a fox." Lang said completely content with where he was at the current moment. He glanced down at Aquina who seemed to be inspecting him. "Maybe one day I'll be able to take a similar form to you." He jokingly laughed, seemingly not impressing the little wolf. "But I don't really know what I'm doing here, it was just the next place to go." Lang said squeezing her hand a little.
She was a little startled when he hugged her, but she was freezing. Up here was not near as warm as down in New Orleans. Nor as humid, but she was okay with that. Pressing close up against his body so she could get as much warmth as she could, she listened to his rumbling voice. She didn't smile this time. Instead, she watched his hand take hers with quiet wonderment. Zuko shifted on her shoulder and she then remembered that he was there. She reached up to stroke the top his head carefully with her free hand.
Butterflies flew into her stomach as he said he was glad he had met her and his finger curled around hers. What was this? This was almost like a fairytale. She felt as if she was drifting. She hardly heard the part about being able to shape into different animals as well. She did smile only slightly when Aquina gave a small yip of approval when he mentioned being able to turn into the little pup one day.
"You'll find out what you're doing here," Em murmured. "Every reason for doing something has a purpose that can change the entire course of nature." She looked up toward the sky and saw a twinkling of a single star beginning to make its way out of the dimming blue sky. "I hope this is the place you'll stay," Em said. "It is quite beautiful and once you find a reason to stay, it's hard to leave."
As the darkness grew and it became harder to see, Em smiled as a thought came into her head. She carefully unwound her hand from Lang's and reached up to take Zuko off her shoulder. She set him down carefully next to Aquina and walked out a little ways away from them. "Watch this," she said with excitement. She cupped her hands together and blew into them. Little by little, light particles resembling fireflies flew up into the sky, lighting up the area around them. Emerald laughed out loud and spun in a circle, causing more of these firefly type lights to fly about, lighting up the small area with a beautiful golden glow.
Lang let Em's hand untangle from his own, but immediately felt as if he was missing something he should have. She moved forward from him setting down Zuko; who immediately ran back to Aquina and began playing once more with the small wolf. Em told him to watch, and so he did. Carefully and intently she closed her hands, putting them together and as she slowly released them; fireflies, or what seemed like them slowly fluttered out. Lang watched amazed as they danced over the area covering Emerald, she looked downright angelic.
He absent-midedly covered his mouth in shock and awe. As soon as he caught himself he laughed and dropped his hand down to his side once more. Before he could stop himself he found that he was answering his own question. "I think I found my reason to stay." He said barely audibly. He walked into the lights that were flickering around the two of them and stood directly in front of Em, peering into her eyes that mirrored the transluscent light around them. It was something that he couldn't describe.
He slowly spun around, appreciating the view that was given to him as he realized his hands were shaking again, hoping to avoid any awkwardness he chuckled. "It's much colder here than South Africa, let me tell you." The boy said rubbing his palms together in order to give them something to do.
Aquina and Zuko played together yipping and playfully dancing around Em and Lang and around the light show she had produced. He was at awe with the tranquility that she had imposed on him. He was rather nervous for his first day, and in a way he was all the more nervous now, but at the very same moment he had never been more at peace. She was a beautiful assortment of juxtapositions and hidden beauty.
"Thank you for this, it's been..." Lang paused, moving his gaze to meet her eyes. "It's been incredible Emerald."
She lifted up a hand and touched one of the lights, turning it pink instead of gold. She did this with a few more, changing them to different colors such as blue, green, and orange. She laughed as she waved a hand through it, maneuvered them around it, and she looked at Lang. Em smiled at the two pets as they began to play once more and looked around at all the dancing lights around her before turning back to look at Lang.
"I can tell. I feel the same way. I'm from New Orleans," Em joked, rubbing her arms. "I wish I could help warm you up, but I can only produce light. Not really heat. Unless I hold a beam for a long time, which is hard to do at times like this." She smiled carefully and drew her arms in around her again. The lights danced around the two of them, illuminating the pair.
Em blushed at the ground when he said that it had been incredible and she laughed. "Best first day I'm sure anyone's ever had," she teased, unconsciously tucking a strand of hair back behind her ear, a self conscious thing that was now a reflex any time almost anyone complimented her. The multicolored lights reflected in his gorgeous eyes and Em found that she couldn't meet them. This felt... weird. Different than she normally felt. This didn't feel childish anymore...
Aquina, surprised by the sudden play attack of Zuko, burst forward, running at the pair. She zipped around their legs, trying to outrun the fox that was now chasing her. Trying to step on her, Em shifted her legs, making sure that Aquina didn't run into her, but somehow, the daft puppy still managed to run into her leg, knocking the poor girl forward against Lang. Letting out a small
oof! as she crashed into the solid figure, she muttered, "Sorry. My pup is just..." She laughed and shook her head.
Lang noticed that she mentioned she was from New Orleans, unsuprisingly he hadn't the faintest of an idea where that was other than the fact that it was in the United States. "Well that's quire alright, I can always grow some fur when I got to sleep." Lang joked as Em informed him that heat was a different concept than the light she could typically create.
He found himself still marvelling at the lights, now some pink and some yellow, then more changed to blue, green, orange. He felt as if he was in the presnce of a goddess herself. But Em was different she was all the same time down to earth and completely ethereal, beautifully shimmering in the night air. It was like nothing Lang had ever experienced and as such he found himself lost in a sea of 'what to dos' and 'should I's'.
"I'd say so, this has definitely been the best night I've had in years." He said nonchalantly staring up at the lights. He almost didn't notice Aquina and Zuko's play fighting, but he definitely didn't notice Aquina running through their legs. The wolf pup traversed the dangerous ground of filled with legs and as Em attempted to make it easier for her companion she lost her balance, falling into Lang. He immediately reacted, grabbing her both quickly and gently while gazing down at the wolf who looked back up at him apologetically. This gave Zuko the perfect chance to blindside the wolf and before a few seconds had passed they continued their game.
Lang looked back at Em only to notice that he was but inches from her face and he froze. He didn't move, barely blinked. He just stared into her eyes. "Yeah, my fox is..." He started but trailed off, not really having a concept of what to say next or where to begin his next thought. He just stood there, lost in her eyes, face fully flushed. "I-" he stuttered, all too lost in their connection to properly coherent thoughts.
"Thanks," she murmured quietly, shifting back a little bit as he looked into her eyes. She didn't know exactly where to go from here. She dropped her arms down by her sides and rubbed her arm self-consciously, looking toward the ground. The tips of her cheeks turned a light pink and the corners of her mouth upturned slightly. She looked over at Aquina as her and Zuko wrestled.
"I'm glad you think so," she said, in an afterthought to the best night that he's had in years. "This ranks in my top ten at the least..." Her voice trailed off toward the end and she looked at the ground again. She sucked in her cheeks. She didn't know what to do! Normally she would just go with the flow, but right now the flow hit rocks and branches. She didn't know where to go from here.
Finally she said, "I could give you a tour of the camp, if you would like. You know, just go for a walk. Something normal like that." She mentally smacked herself for adding the last sentence onto it, but at Camp Half-Blood, nothing was normal. She took a deep breath and smiled, still looking toward the ground. She couldn't bring herself to look up after that awkward shove into Lang's arms by Aquina. "I am the best person for a night tour, as you can probably see why." She gestured around them to the still dancing lights.
Her heart was beating faster than normal and she had to take another deep breath, but it didn't exactly help. There were still little butterflies in her stomach and she couldn't make herself look up. Unknown to her, however, her lights around her decided to illuminate on the situation and turned different shades of red and pink.
Lang noticed her body language, she held her arm and look down at the ground. Maybe she felt like he did. It was a nice thought, but he barely knew how he himself felt. He searched for words, but the sound of his heart beating was drowning out his intelligent thoughts. He watched her breathing, deep breaths like had been taking. She suggested a tour of the camp and he knew it would be hard to pass up, he wanted to spend more time with her.
'Oh also the lights.' Lang thought mentally calling himself an idiot.
Lang grinned like an idiot when he heard that he had ranked in her top ten nights, but he could certainly do better than that. He noted to himself that he wanted to make it into the top five by the end of the night, of that he was certain. Lang took note of her posture once more and decided that he'd try to ease her mind. Zuko, on the other hand yipped from behind him, nearly sending him into cardiac arrest.
He took a step towards her and nodded. "I bet you'd make quite the tour guide." Lang said with a short chuckle, quiet and silenced almost immediately. The night air hung dead around them, neither of them said a single word. Lang found his eyes wandering, looking for a sign, something to say. That was when he noticed that the lights began to change colors. They all shifted to a shade of red and pink, even the blue ones. Lang began to connect some dots and realized that she may
actually feel similarly to him,
"I-, I'm sorry." Lang started allowing his jitteriness to subside and relaxing his shoulders. "I'm a little nervous, you're beautiful and I'm having a great time, if you'd have me I would love a tour of the camp." He said taking her right hand in his left. "Thank you." He said sincerely, as soon as their hands touched he stopped shaking, he was at peace once more. This elicited a sincere smile from the man as he sighed a breath of relief.
He called me beautiful, she thought to herself as he took her hand. She grinned and looked up at him. "You're very welcome," she told him. Holding out her left hand, all of the small lights flew into it, creating one big ball of a light. She gently lifted it up over her head, tossing it above them. It floated up a little ways before pausing, casting a beautiful golden glow around them.
Aquina, now seeing the ball, yipped and ran away from Zuko, trying to jump at the extremely high up ball. Emerald, seeing her do this, laughed softly, relaxing a bit more. At least her pup still felt normal even when she didn't. Intertwining her fingers with his, she began leading him away from the cabin. They began walking in between the cabins and Emerald pointed out each of the cabins to him. "That's Ares' cabin. If you ever want a good sparring partner, go there and ask for Gideon. The guy is an amazing fighter. Next to it is Athena's cabin, after that is Hermes', then Dionysus's, where Arianna lives (she's really funny), then Demeter's, Hera's and Zeus's. Poseidon's cabin is over by the lake because... well, water." She laughed as she guided him.
They made their way away from the cabins and she paused in the middle of some of them. She pointed in the direction of Poseidon's cabin. "Over there is the lake. You can kind of see it through the trees." The glittered waves reflected back to them and she smiled. She turned a little bit and pointed again. "Over there are the training grounds, armory, forge, and infirmary. If you ever need a weapon made, talk to Ky'vie, counselor of the Hephaestus cabin. She is amazingly skilled. If you need a premade weapon, talk to Gideon, and if you are injured... I think you can handle it." She giggled, remembering that he is a son of Apollo.
"I want to show you my favorite place," she said, pulling at his hand. They made their way through the barren training grounds and came across the stables. She smiled and pressed a finger to her lips as she guided him inside. She walked over to a specific stall and tapped it gently. "Cascade," she murmured and a silver dapper head popped out of the stall and whickered quietly. Em smiled and stroked her nose. "This is Cascade. She's Claire Bellerose's horse, daughter of Poseidon. But Claire lets me ride her every once in awhile." She rested her head against Cascade's nose before taking Lang back out of the stables, looking up toward the night sky. "What do you think so far?" she asked, smiling toward the sky. She flicked her wrist and the bouncy ball of light dropped and rolled along the ground, creating another ball for the wolf pup and fox to play with. It still illuminated the area steadily, but Zuko and Aquina could now play with the ball.
Lang looked up at the light that now floated above them a beautiful golden orb that reminded him of the sun. It wasn't that he held the sun on that high of a pedestal but being the son of Apollo it made him feel whole, as if whenever it wasn't up he was hurting. Em returned him to that feeling and he couldn't stop the warmest of smiles from becoming plastered on his face. They both seemed much more relaxed, Lang couldn't help but want to thank the gods for that.
He saw Aquina attempt to leap for the ball in the air, only missing by about ten feet. Lang laughed and found himself laughing with Em beside him. They walked beside one another, Zuko knowingly following them trotting beside his new best friend. They walked away from the party, the sound of which faded quickly as they made their was through them all.She introduced them citing people in each cabin that she knew and how Lang might come to know them as well. They shared another laugh at the concept of where the Poseidon cabin was located and he let her continue to guide him through the tour. The glittering waters of the lake shone through the trees in the forest, as Em pointed out. Once more she pointed out some of the helpful members of the camp. "Yes I feel that I can most likely heal myself," Lang said giving Em a light playful tug on her hand. "But if you ever need healing I can also do that." Lang said cheerily.
He found himself swelling up in excitement at the mention of Em's favorite place. He followed her and let her pull his arm as they came up upon the stables. Inside, she explained that Claire, the daughter of Poseidon, had a horse here that Em was fond of and rode every once in a while. She placed her head against the horses nose and Lang found himself dumbfounded by her beauty. He followed her back outside the stable and Aquina and Zuko played with the ball that Em dropped gleefully chasing it around. "I think you make it feel like home." Lang said warmly turning to face Em.
"Thank you for the tour Em." He said happily, quickly leaning in towards her and giving her a quick peck on the lips, as was fairly common in South African culture. He returned to staring into her eyes and smiled.
She blushed when he said she made it feel like home. That was an amazing compliment, she though anyways, to make someone feel so comfortable. She was about to respond when he thanked her for the tour and she suddenly felt the fleeting kiss over her lips. She blinked with surprise and looked at him as he looked into her eyes. She was shocked that she hadn't thrown up yet because of the butterflies in her stomach, but that kiss just made her more nervous than ever, even if it was as brief as it was.
"Uh," she said, unable to think of anything to say. The one thing she was certain about was that she was completely red in the face and blushing beyond belief. She blinked slowly and swallowed. "Um." She couldn't seem to get any words out and, just so she didn't look like a complete idiot just standing there, she looked over toward Aquina, who was looking at the pair curiously again. Aquina yipped at her before going back to chasing the ball.
Turning back to Lang, she whispered quietly, "What was that for?" She no longer had her voice and found that she could not speak above the whisper, as she was worried someone might come and break this up. She didn't want this to end. Not yet. Not doing it on purpose, dozens of the firefly type lights flew off her again, illuminating the area once more in dancing little pink and red lights. She looked at the lights in wonder. She never knew that her powers could be controled by her emotions. With how high some of them went, they blended into the night sky, looking like pink stars above them.
Lang noticed her blush after he kissed her to thank her. He blushed as well, he wondered if what he had done had caused her to feel embarassed. Her voice lowered to a whisper and she asked why he had kissed her. Lang thought about it for a second, while he wasn't typically one in South African to kiss people he had just met. But Em was just different, he felt as if he had known her for so long and yet they had just met. He took his time wondering how to answer and perfectly describe his emotions.
"Sometimes I forget that not everyone is from where I am. But in South Africa, when you kiss someone you do it to thank a person who you feel very close to." Lang said, attempting to make it as clear as possible. He raised his hand with their fingers still intertwined and looked at Em. "I'm very sorry if that was uncalled for, I just mean to say that I like you Em, you're the best thing I've met on this tour." Lang said with his signature grin. He noticed that the same lights had returned to blend with the night sky. The rosy pinks and reds.
"These lights, they seem to know you pretty well." Lang said happily, while his heart was still beating quickly and his fingers shaking ever so slightly, he felt somewhat at ease with Em.
She looked at the ground carefully, listening to what he had to say. How could he feel close to her... if he just barely met her? This was too much like a dream, it couldn't be real... And yet... he was solid. He was real. He was standing in front of her as a real human being, something not made up from a story. Her heart fluttered in her chest, bringing her back to where she was and she looked at the lights floating around her.
"I guess they do," she murmured quietly. The lights flickered red and pink before jumping back to gold. The lights sparkled, reflecting in the eyes of the pets and in his eyes. Those beautiful eyes and that amazing smile. She couldn't help but smile too. "It definitely wasn't uncalled for," she said quietly. She moved closer and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her forehead against his forehead.
"How can I be the best think you've ever met or seen," she teased, "when you haven't seen or met everyone yet?" She took a deep breath. He smelled good, better than the stables, that was for sure. She giggled and shook her head, finally voicing what she had been thinking the entire time. "This is like a fairy tale, isn't it? You normally just don't meet someone and have all of this happen. What's so different about us?" She was still grinning and she still had her forehead on his. She looked into his eyes and said, "What makes us so special?"
Aquina, now beginning to feel left out, trotted over to them and sat directly in between Emerald's feet. Her wagging tell kept hitting the back of Em's ankles and Em laughed quietly, looking down at the excited little pup. Aquina pressed her head against Em's leg, looking up at both her and Lang, as if expecting something. She looked a little exasperated, as if she had been waiting for something from them. Em turned her eyes from Aquina and looked back into Lang's.
Lang listened to Em's uncertainty with concern and when the lights flickered out to their original golden glow. He felt worried, had he ruined everything, was it something he said. He began to speak but was completely and utterly silenced. Em wrapped her arms around his neck and gently placed her forehead against his own and he allowed himself to get lost in her eyes. He listened to her speak, questioning him telling her that she was the best thing he had seen on the tour.
"Well, mostly because I no longer feel as though I need to meet anyone else." Lang said honhestly hey eyes envelopping his spirit. She told him that it was like a fairy tale, they had something between them yet they had just met, what was it? Lang knew before she finished her question. His memory taking him back to when he was beginning to question his father's godhood, her mother had told him something.
'Lang, they have to base these stories on someone, one day you'll understand that.' his mother had told him. Lang gently placed his hands on Em's hips and began to tell her. "I was told at a very young age that they had to base these stories on someone, perhaps we're just lucky." Lang said quietly, not wanting to attract any outwards attention from anyone, this moment had to last. It already seemed like they had been there for hours, but it had only been about fourty minutes. Lang felt a warmth inside of him, a bubbling sensation of happiness.
He glanced over at their pets and realized he had almost completely forgotten they were there. Zuko look expectantly at Lang but Lang only let out a small laugh, looking back into Em's eyes. "How do you-, do you feel?" Lang began, losing his way in her eyes once more. He wasn't sure how to ask what he needed to ask.
"Maybe we are," she murmured, letting out a small breath. She smiled at him and took a step back dropping her hands from around his neck. Aquina quickly moved out of the way and bounded back next to her. The lights tracked with her, moving slightly away from Lang. She smiled at him when he asked how she felt and she puffed out her cheeks.
"In all honesty, I feel like I could use a few drinks, but I don't want to be hungover in the morning," she laughed. She stared at the ground for a few moments before running her fingers through her hair, trying to fix it. "I feel...different from how I normally am. I can't explain it, you know?" She rubbed her arm, feeling the coolness of the night beginning to wash over her. Aquina pushed at her leg and Emerald reached down and picked her up, holding her in her arms like she would a baby.
"It's a good different though," she said with a smile. "I'm glad I met you. I'm sort of glad this rascal tipped over a chip bowl so we could meet." She chuckled as she tickled Aquina's stomach. The little pup yipped and her head rolled in her arms, leaning back over Emerald's arms. Her fur was soft and wind-blown from running around. Em shook her head at the puppy and looked back at Lang. She watched him carefully before looking up at the night. "I should probably head back to my cabin. It's getting pretty late."
Lang noticed the light follw Em as she let go of her grasp and took a step backwards. He was actively embraced in the darkness, but was staring at the illumination of Em. He laughed when she told him she felt like she needed a few drinks and he found himself agreeing. It had been a crazy night, and he still wasn't sure how she felt about him, but he knew that it wasn't negative, she was very receptive to him and he to her.
She brought up how she felt different from usual. "I know what you mean, I'm not usually so... Forward." Lang said rubbing the back of his neck in an apologetic way. He laughed when Aquina became too fed up to be left alone any longer. Em picked up the wolf pup like a small baby while Zuko ran up Lang's back perching himself on his shoulder. He took a second to rub Zuko's soft head before returning Em's glance. "Yeah, let's get you back to your cabin now." Lang said absent mindedly reaching out for her hand once more, intertwining his fingers around her own and walking back towards the cabins.
It was a cool night, but he felt as warm as he did when he was in South Africa. The entire walk back he was beaming. They finally got back to the cabin's and he walked her to the Iris cabin. "Thank you for this Em, I had a really good night." He said stroking her hand with his thumb before letting go of it. He leaned on the wall beside her door and glanced up at the sky once more, thanking the gods for whatever divine intervention allowed him to have this night. "Sweet dreams." He said with a smile. Waiting for her to enter her cabin.
She smiled as he walked her to her door and she got chills when he stroked the back of her hand. The butterflies came back almost as quickly as they had disappeared. "I had a good one too," she said quietly. "Better than most of my nights." She laughed quietly under her breath and looked at him for a brief moment before an impulse pushed her forward and pressed her lips to his for a brief second before she back up again, smiling at him. "Goodnight!" she said rapidly, before spinning into her cabin and slamming the door shut. She leaned up against it and let out a long breath. Damn, what a night...
Lang experienced a second as if it was a millenia. Her lips were warm and soft. She pulled away and slammed the door as he fell square back against the wall. He looked at the sky for a brief moment before pumping his fist in the air in a fit. What a night... He thought to himself, happily walking back to his cabin, nearly skipping. Zuko did not enjoy the ride. He walked in to his cabin, laid down on his bed glancing to his unopened bag, not unpacked. He stretched out on the bed and stared at the ceiling, he found himself laughing.
