Syleste Astrea Nioré & Tobias Casper Grímsdóttir
Cabin Eighteen
Globs of black paint dribbled to the floor as Tobias jerked his head in a half head-bang to the thrashing of guitars and the pounding of drums that ripped out of his speakers with ferocity that would rival Zeus's lightning. The raven-haired demigod of death slapped his paintbrush against the nearest window, slathering a layer of black across it before dragging the brush back. He began singing the words in a harsh, guttural voice as he rolled out the little Finnish that he did know, singing
Rauta. The music shook the window and, if it weren't for years of abuse to his ears, would have threatened to deafen him. "
Iske," he'd emphasize, dragging the brush along noticeably harder than before.
The gentle feeling of the blades of grass brushing over the souls of her feet caused her soft pink lips to turn up into a warm and sweet smile, seeming to light up the pink haired girls features brightly as she continued to walk through the grassy knoll that was lain out between the cabins as a comfortable place where the demigods could both relax and interact with one another- not that there was anyone there who wanted to speak with her at the moment... the sound of familiar voices and other noises filling her ears and causing her to tilt her head slightly as she tried to make out who was around her; the sound of Colts voice coming from somewhere beside her as he happily spoke with some of the other campers, the sound of the door of Erin's cabin slamming shut could be heard coming from close by as well… the sound of strange and loud music blaring out from somewhere just ahead of her…
Bringing her hands together in front of her body as she took pause in her step for but a moment, Syleste once more began to follow her ears, her brows furrowing slightly underneath the blue material that covered her eyes from sight as the beating of the music grew louder and louder with every step; gently biting down on her lower lip and reaching out as she grew closer, she waited until she could feel the all too familiar roughness of wood under her palm before she took the steps up onto the porch, her hand leaving the railing before moving around and in front of her body so that she could search out for the door that led inside, the young demigoddess hesitating for only a brief moment before gathering up the courage to knock, the soft sound of her rapping against the wood seemingly lost under the sound of the music blaring from within.
Tobias stepped back to admire his handiwork, one of the final windows now slathered in a final layer of black that did a brilliant job at keep the light out, though the now black windows did something that wasn't exactly thrilling. They absorbed enough heat to raise the temperature of the room by a balmy six or seven degrees, leaving Toby to do what he usually did when no one was around. Strip down to a pair of, now paint-splattered, jeans with the waist band of his boxers just barely sticking out. The boxers were optional.
The song rolled to an end and for a moment there was a silence that filed the cabin, amplified by the added layering of the paint over the windows. Tobias had always hated these moments. They were the times when his room was the loudest. Silence was deafening. But there was a sound, one that he had not heard for years. A sound so unfamiliar, he had to give it a moment to recognize it.
A knock? "
Yah," he said aloud, his thick Scandinavian accent slipping out for a moment, caught off guard by the chance appearance of a guest. When he didn't hear anything and the next song began to play, drowning out a second wave of knocks, he scowled.
Tobias swiftly moved toward his stereo and cut it off before turning and gliding over to the door, dancing around the bucket of paint sitting by it before yanking the chair out from behind the door and ripping it open. Only to be greeted by the girl that he had mentally referred to as 'Cotton Candy'. He would've said something smart, but he had never interacted with the girl before. So he went with a default. "
What do you want?" He asked, bluntly letting the words fall out of his mouth.
Jumping slightly on the spot as she heard the sudden whoosh of the door being ripped open in front of her, she pressed both of her hands closer into her stomach, her fingers nervously playing with one another as the sound of a voice she didn’t know too well hit her ears- Tobias… she’d only been able to speak to him in passing, and only a few times at that; he was someone that most of the campers she knew avoided interacting with, though she had never really understood just why that was, that simple fact leading her to making the choice of making a point at getting to know him if she ever managed to get the chance to do just that. Blushing lightly in slight embarrassment at being spoken to so bluntly, she dropped her head down, the action causing her long and wavy bubblegum pink locks to fall down over her shoulders before framing her face sweetly.
“
Uh… s-sorry Toby… I heard your music while I was walking back to my cabin…” Hunching her shoulders over slightly as she kept her head lowered and slightly out of sight, she shifted awkwardly over the place she stood on his cabin porch, the girl not having realized earlier that she might have been interrupting him when she had knocked, “
..I haven’t heard anything like it before... so I was curious… I’m sorry if I disturbed you; I can go if you want me to…”
He stared her up and down, holding back snarling at her. No one came to visit. When they did, it was because they needed him to do something. So what was it that pinky here wanted? A new seeing eye-dog, the next best carpenter to a Hephaestus kid, alcohol, someone to sew back together something, or something else entirely? She blushed and that truly made him scowl. Women only blushed around him when they wanted something and, unlike the others, she wouldn't be able to give him something in return. He was about to tell her to fuck right off, when she spoke.
He hesitated. A music complaint? He wouldn't turn it down, but he'd recognize the complaint and wear it with some pride. But before he could mouth off, she beat him to the punch, saying she was
curious. His brow furrowed and he chewed on his lip, mulling over what to say and whether or not to take her up on the offer to tell her to buzz off. "
Having you leave is an option? Then, consider it taken." He said, turning his back to her and moving back into his cabin. He returned to his stereo and turned it
back on, nudging the volume down just a tad before returning to his paintbrush, slathering it in some more paint, and moving on to the next window.
"
Hurry up and get in and close the door before you let all the hot air out," he said.
Lifting her head back up as the invitation to join him inside finally registered within her mind, she nodded lightly up and down before she made her way forwards, her hand reaching out so that her fingers could lightly glide over the front of the wooden door, making sure that she had passed it completely before she turned and lifted her other hand up, being sure to close it as quietly as she possibly could so as not to disturb him like she had when she first knocked- the last thing she wanted to do was make him angry, especially after he had gone out of his way to kindly invite her into the warmth of his cabin so that she could listen to the music with him as well.
“
Sorry… thank you though; for letting me stay and listen to your music. It’s very different to what I’m used to- Arianna doesn’t normally give me tracks like these…” Turning herself around so that her back was now facing the door, she took just a couple of steps forward before coming to a complete stop, her soft pink lips parting slightly as the strong smell of paint began to fill her nostrils, her arms lifting up from her side and around behind her head before she paused, her fingers hovering only just above the bow of the blue material, “
Uh… do you mind if I take my blindfold off..? Or would you rather I leave it on… I know my eyes make some people uncomfortable…”
Tobias didn't attempt to sing along with this song, not knowing a lick of gaulish and not bothering to pretend he did. He hummed along to the now much quieter music, smearing more paint across the window as he did. "
You can say if you don't like it, Cotton Candy. You don't have t'pretend," He said, glancing back and noticing the face she was starting to make as she moved her hands to take off the blindfold."
You look ridiculous, you know that? Take it off." He said bluntly, returning to his paint bucket and drenching the brush in more paint before moving on to the next window.
"
I know you can't see, but if you're really afraid of people seeing your slights, you're coming to the wrong person. I'm not going to pity you because you're blinder than a bat." He paused for a moment and looked toward the bag near his foot. He set the brush down and squatted by the bag, digging through it until he pulled up two cans. He got up and walked over to her slowly, before putting it into her left hand. "
I'll only pity you if you sit there with that dumb look on your face and don't enjoy yourself," He said, cracking his own hard cider open and taking a long swig before returning to his little 'art' project.
“
Huh..? Oh, no… sorry, it’s just the smell of paint is really strong in here. I haven’t painted mine in a few years; I can feel the paint chipping away from the wall in my room whenever I get up. So… are you redecorating your cabin..?” Not bothering to hesitate any longer in her actions as she took a hold of the bow, her fingers lightly pulled at the knot in the material until the makeshift blindfold came loose before falling down from around her face, her head stooping down only just as she blinked a couple of times, doing her best to get used to no longer having the restriction of the material strapped around her eyes; her smile seeming to grow in brightness at no longer having to hide the most distinct part of her life, her hand slipping it down into the back pocket of her pink denim shorts.
“
I usually only wear it when I meet new campers, so that they don’t get freaked out when they see me; or whenever I know that others can’t handle the strange way they look… I’m not stupid; I know that they make people feel uncomfortable…” Lifting her head up so that she was looking up in the direction that she could hear his voice, she let her fingers curl around the can that was offered to her, her opposite hand coming up to rest just underneath it as she held it up against her stomach, her head shaking lightly from side to side, “
I’m not afraid to let people see who I really am. I’m not asking for your pity, Toby; you are one of the only ones who doesn’t treat me as though I’m a child. You don’t babysit me, or consider me a burden like the others seem to do…”
Dropping her head down slightly as she paused in her words, she took but a few moments before finally opening up the can that she was holding close to her, the corners of her eyes crinkling slightly as she smiled at him once more before lifting it up to take a few sips of the cider, the strong alcoholic beverage causing her cheeks to blush a gentle shade of red.
"
Redecorating, sure. Yeah." He said, giving the window a final stroke before dropping the brush into the paint can and turning to survey his now nearly pitch black room.
Perfect. He stalked past Syl, his own drink still in hand, and dug around piles of books before pulling out a candle and a match, spending a moment to light the candle before placing in on the nearest table. It added a gentle orange glow over the room and satisfied him enough for the moment. It would make reading a bit harder, but that's what the overhead lights were for anyway. He just wanted to skulk around in his cabin for the time being.
"
Don't bother wearing it. It makes you look like you want people to know you for your disability and not for you." He said, sitting down on his bed and taking another swig of the crisp cider that sent a faint tingle down the back of his throat. "
Why would I babysit you? If you're that incompetent, you wouldn't have made it here in the first place. You can take care of yourself. I'm not interested in walking you through life."
He chewed his bottom lip, looking her over and taking another swig from his now empty drink. "
Though you might want to get someone else to do your makeup. You look like a raccoon fell into a cotton candy machine." He got up and went to find another drink.
Trying not to choke on the mouthful of cider that she had as the mental image of what she believed to be what a raccoon to look like with a large puff of colorful cloud covering its head flashed through her mind, she slowly lowered the can down so that it was once more held in front of her stomach, her cheeks still retaining that soft red glow to them as she tilted her head ever so slightly to the side, her rather dreamy but slightly cloudy gaze dropping away and to the side as she let her mind wander over what it was that he had said about her appearance, her smile faltering ever so slightly the more she lingered on it, “
..do I really look that bad..? When Ky’ vie isn’t at camp, Erin usually does my makeup for me- she had a meeting this morning with Mr. D before she had to meet with Logan on the hill; I didn’t want to bother her with little things like my makeup, so I just tried to do it myself…”
Tightening her grip over the can for only a few moments before relaxing once more, she chuckled lightly to herself before she lifted it up to take another drink, though this time noticeably smaller than the last time, “
I know that I can’t do everything on my own; makeup is something that I need to learn- the lips are easy, and following the line of my cheekbones for blush is easy too… but blending foundation, doing eye-liner, and putting on eye-shadow is something I’m still working on learning. I can do a lot, but my makeup isn’t a strong suit, that’s for sure…”
"
You lost me half-way through that list of makeup," he said over his shoulder before crouching down and riffling through the bag until he found another can of the good stuff and cracked it open, taking a sip before even bothering to stand. He licked his lips and stifled a yawn as he returned to his bed and dropped down onto it, scowling as he felt a few drops of liquid splash out of the can and soak into his pants.
"
You," he started, stopping immediately after and pursing his lips together in an '
Ohhhhhh' sort of way. "
You don't know what a raccoon looks like. They're little fuzzy critters that have black fur around their eyes like a little mask. But, yeah. Chill out on the makeup." He leaned back into his bed, tilting his head up long enough to take another sip before setting the drink down beside him and taking to staring at the ceiling. A new song began to play, already separating itself from the other
tracks. It started soft and slow. Tobias sung along, his voice low, almost a whisper, sometimes trailing behind the song, sometimes coming a bit early.
“
..fuzzy little creatures with masks..? Huh…” Biting down on her lower lip softly, she let her unseeing gaze wander over the room around her for a while before she slowly nodded her head in response to the suggestion he was making, her lips turning up into a small though still ever sweet smile as she shifted slightly over the place in which she stood, though never seeming to give any sign that she was going to be moving any time soon- she had always thought that they were small… but the fact that they were furry and wearing masks was something that she hadn’t considered before. It was one of the many animals that she hadn’t had the chance to ‘see’ before; she’d held kittens… puppies… rabbits… she’d been able to pet and be around the horses and pegasi; even managed to get close to a couple of deer thanks to the Nymphs that lived in the forests… but she knew there were still so many out there that she’d never held or touched… that she’d never been able to get a picture of…
Lifting one of her hands up from where it had been resting against the outside of the can, she slipped her fingers back and through her long pink locks, ruffling them slightly before she once more returned her hand back to where it had been resting only moments before, “
I’ll do my best to keep that in mind. See if Erin and Ky can teach me some things so that I don’t go around looking like one of the raccoon's with the masks that you mentioned.”
"
You do that, girlie." He said, finishing his drink and dropping the can onto the floor by his bed, laying out and closing his eyes. "
Just try not to run around telling them I said you look like a raccoon. They don't need any more of a reason to dislike me." He returned to singing along with the song, never raising his voice beyond the whisper, even as the vocals blared.
“
I don’t understand why everyone in the camp tries to avoid being around or talking to you, Toby; I mean, it’s not like you’re not a bad guy or anything… and you’re really easy to talk to as well.” Shaking her head lightly from side to side in an attempt to show him just how much she didn’t understand why the others in camp acted that way, a gentle sigh falling out through her soft pink lips as she slid her foot back, hesitating for a few moments until she leant back and pressed her back up against the closest wall, relaxing once again before finally sliding down the wall until she was sitting on the ground, her hand lifting her can up so that she could take another mouthful of the cider.
“
Why do people insist on judging others on what they see..? I don’t see anything like they can; and I honestly think that you’re a pretty decent guy... I just-… I just don’t understand…”
"
Give it time. You'll figure it out." He sighed out between lines, drumming his fingers on his bed to the song. Despite being the middle of the day, his room was as dark as it would have been during the night and he was beginning to doze off, in spite of the blaring music and the time of day.
"
Get out of here," He said, moving his hands up and putting them behind his head and using them as a pillow. "
You've been here long enough."
“
O-Oh… yes, of course…” Dropping her head down as though she were looking about her person with a slightly flustered look about her, she shifted her body slightly over the ground before she placed the palm of one of her hands down on the ground beside her, pressing into it and lifting herself up from where she had been resting over the floor and against the wall that was stood tall behind her- she had gone and long overstayed her welcome within his cabin, that much was obvious… and now it was time for her to take her leave.
Tightening the grip she had over the almost still full can of cider that she had been sipping on since he had given it to her to have, she lightly brushed down the back of her shorts before she nodded her head lightly to let him know that she had heard and understood that it was time for her to leave; doing her best to follow the same path that she taken to get to where it was that she ended up, she let her feet slowly though confidently lead her back through the cabin and over to the door, her hand pausing on the handle for a moment before she turned her head to glance back over and in the direction that his voice had been coming from.
“
Hey Toby..? Ky is throwing a party tonight; you know, to welcome the new camper and all that… if you’re not doing anything later, you should drop by, it’s going to be a really good time. Maybe I’ll see you there.” Smiling brightly towards him once again before she turned herself back to the door, she slowly pulled it open only enough to slip herself through before she disappeared out into the fresh air of the camp, being careful not to spill any of her drink as she quietly and carefully closed the door behind her.