forum Camp Jupiter RP - CLOSED (CALORIES & LAIRE FOREVER!)

Started April 03, 2018 by @BookAddict

tune

As the pair reached Alexander, Valerie’s smile shifted into a steely gaze.

Cato held out the gladius to Alexander. “There you go,” he said with false cheerfulness. “One gladius, made to order.”

Alexander took the blade and glared at them and left.

//woah he’s gon die now pleeeeaaaasssseeeeee

Cato wandered back in the direction of the forge, not checking to see if Val was following him or not. He walked in to see a work station ablaze, a pan of molten metal having been overturned upon its wooden surface.

Valerie froze in the middle, transfixed by the fire. It made strange patterns across her face, but her eyes were wide and unseeing, like she was caught in some sort of memory. In reality, all she could think about was how the wall of the forge was justmlike the color her room’s walls had been when they started to collapse, how the shadows on the wall looked exactly like the crumbling house, how the cacophony of the forge sounded just like her mother’s screaming.

//ahh thats a gorgeous paragraph

//thanks

Cato turned around to see Val entranced. “Valerie? Val. VAL. Are you? What’s…?” Val surged forwards, and he caught her, carrying her outside. “Valerie,” Cato whisper-sang. “Val, you’re okay. Valerie, you’re okay.”

She slowly sank onto her knees, staring at the grass for a moment before seemingly snapping out of it. “They’re dead,” she whispered, before her head snapped back up. “Sorry about that.”

“Who’s dead? What? No, no, you’re fine….” Cato said worriedly. “What happened?”

“I- nothing. I’m fine,” she said. “I’m fine.” She repeated it, as if to convince herself. She couldn’t get the images out of her mind - a nine year old girl at her birthday party. A fire. Screaming. Six kids and two parents burned alive. How did you get out, Val? Why aren’t you dead? Her eyes wide, she grabbed her head as if tontry and force the memories out.

“You’re not fine. I’m taking you to the infirmary,” Cato said, picking Val up again and starting to walk down the hill.

“I’m perfectly fine,” she protested. They can’t help me.

“You. Are. Not. The least they can do is give you something for shock,” Cato insisted, continuing his way top the infirmary.

She fell silent, deciding not to argue. Her hand drifted to a burn scar on her left forearm before she snapped it back to her side.

“Val,” Cato whispered, mostly to himself. “What happened?”

“A fire,” she said hesitantly after a moment. “Like I said, just a few weeks before I got here. Ninth birthday. I’m the only one who made it out and I don’t know how.”

“Oh my gods,” Cato whispered. “You never told anyone? Or went to, I don’t know, therapy?! Val, that very well could’ve killed you! As it is, its left a scarring impression on your mind.” Cato stopped walking and gently sat Val down on the grassy hill, then sat next to her. “I won’t make you go to the infirmary,” he muttered. “But you’ve got to tell me anything you need to get off your chest. Okay? I can at least help there.”

//yasssss

//ok

“Oh my gods,” Cato whispered. “You never told anyone? Or went to, I don’t know, therapy?! Val, that very well could’ve killed you! As it is, its left a scarring impression on your mind.” Cato stopped walking and gently sat Val down on the grassy hill, then sat next to her. “I won’t make you go to the infirmary,” he muttered. “But you’ve got to tell me anything you need to get off your chest. Okay? I can at least help there.”

She stared at her hands. “I dunno, I’ve been fine. That’s the only time I ever went full-out panicked.” She glanced up at him before looking out over the hill, repeating, “I’ve been fine. It hasn’t happened before.”
She looked back at him again. “I’m not going to make that promise either. I don’t think I can.”