Looking for a Friend (Lúth)

((Eh... packing can wait.))

Adele had always had a bad habit of running of and doing as she pleased, especially when no one else was the wiser, but this time was unusual for her, at least in her own memory. Her parents had greeted her at the airport and welcomed her home, surprised that Adele had only brought the small, carry-on sized duffel from Colorado, rather than the larger suitcase that was generally better suited to month-long stays - later in the day, it was reveled that Adele had worn her bulkiest jackets on the plane, items that easily took up half of her carry-on when packed. Her parents had mixed feelings about this (previously, Addy had never taken up more space than she absolutely needed), but in the end, they passed if off with a shrug and an "oh well," with Adele perfectly unaware that such a conversation had even happened. Not even fourteen hours after landing, however, Adele grew restless, and long walks down familiar streets didn't help for long. With some spare cash the girl had saved from the school year, the small ginger hailed a taxi and set the course for Delphi Farms, duffle bag on the seat next to her.

It was early enough in the morning that the winter skyline was still cloudy, before the sun had a true chance to warm the city and burn off the chill that had driven Adele, yet again, to don two jackets, just enough to keep her toasty. Time passed as the taxi and rider approached Delphi with Adele quietly watching the land change as she approached the sea, only barely aware of the mild sense of discomfort that presented itself when the wind brought the smell of salty water to the cab. A quick glance at her dinosaur of a phone showed that it was now late morning, roughly the same time she and Calix had finished their daily work over the summer, and a second's worth of a smile appeared on her face, remembering the councilor. The two had bonded in one of the most unusual ways Adele could imagine, but she had grown fond of him, and she assumed that he had stopped disliking her presence at some point over the summer. It was hard to tell when that point had occurred, but Adele was fairly sure it had. Her eyes suddenly focused on a lone pine tree, and impulsively tapped the glass that separated her and the driver, voicing "this is it," only just loud enough. Almost reluctantly, the driver pulled over, accepted payment and drove off, nearly leaving Adele without a bag.

The walk over the hill, past the tree, down the hill, through the omega (with a pitstop to drop off her duffel), past the mess hall, onto the walled and fortified Camp Jupiter was longer than it felt, but Adele didn't mind. If she remembered correctly, Bonnie would be behind the walls the "Roman" kids deemed so necessary, and there was a large chance she'd be able to see Calix. Whether or not the two stopped to talk and catch up was something Adele didn't pin her hopes on - he'd made amazing strides, coming back from a hollow figure to a person just coming out of a ridiculously tough shell to crack, and she simply hoped he's continued to make progress. Eating and drinking regularly, getting some air and exercise, talking to people beyond the few phrases the two had exchanged roughly once a week and those that seemed impossibly insistent that he continued to live - herself and Elijah, as far as she knew. Quietly, with a full summer's worth of practice behind her, Adele pushed open the doors of the Principia, half expecting to see the familiar blond head bend over the desk, looking at reports. The chair, however was empty, probably due to the fact it was now lunch time - the hunger was two hours or more away for Adele, who had stopped eating lunch any early than one in Colorado, roughly three in New York. Without thinking, Addy turned on her heel and walked to a door that she'd seen Calix walk out of once, and knocked sharply, her mind not open to the possibility that someone other than Calix would open the door, a wry smile on her face, imagining her reaction if Elijah suddenly presented himself.

((Slept just about all day. I'm trying to pause sick for this....))

Lúthien was back home. Well, the only home she remembered by now. It was probably because most of the memories had been made and a few remembered but she knew she belonged here. Scotland was still a second home and just that morning she'd written a lengthy letter to Barney. She had once again thanked him for everything he'd done for her as well as include the latest news. The engagement. She had invited him over to the wedding, although she wasn't quite sure what she was going to do about the entire 'given away by the father' part. She had adoptive parents in Austria, a presumed dead biological father and Barney was just as much of a father to her as either of the others. Thus far, probably the closest she had to a real father. It was something she really needed to think about properly but no matter what, she wanted Barney at the wedding and to keep in touch with him. He had grown to be very important to the young woman.

A noise suddenly caught her attention and she smiled as a small cat at the end of the bed she shared with her fiancée suddenly stretched and yawned. "Morning Amroth." She said jokingly as she picked the cat up and cuddled him. "You missed me too, didn't you?" She said softly as she petted the grey little kitten. "But I'm back and we're going to save the one who gave you to me." She said with a bright little smile as she cuddles with the kitten. It was after all the same cat that she knew Jespice had given to her. She didn't know exactly what to make of the other guy, although she was pretty certain that she could save him. If she could save him somehow, perhaps she could redeem her own actions that way. Yet she feared Jespice wasn't that keen on being saved, either that or he had some sort of fear. She just wished she could somehow help him, save him so he wouldn't have to meet a fate similar to the one she'd suffered. Although she didn't remember the details, she was sure that only Calix was the reason she was still here. He'd saved her over and over and she had never forgotten that. For as far as Lúthien knew, Jespice didn't really have anybody. Or not somebody he was as close to as she was to Calix. It worried Lúthien, as he was her best friend. Probably the one who understood her best, for some insane reason.

Lúthien sighed slightly and watched the cat stretch and curl back up on the pillow this time. She smiled and looked at her ring again for a moment when there suddenly was a knock on the door. Lúthien frowned slightly as she stood up. Probably just a Legionnaire looking for Calix, although she didn't know why they weren't at lunch. Lúthien was known for not following traditions and she had wanted to catch up on some sleep so she'd remained in while Calix worked that day. She walked over the door and opened it, seeing a young woman with bright red hair. She was very pretty and Lúthien felt a very short and distant pang, as if her body remembered something her brain didn't. Not that Lúthien let it get to her, after all, Calix had proposed to her and they were getting married. Not him and some other girl, no. He was marrying her so there was no cause for concern. "Praetor Kiril is at Lunch if you're looking for him." She said with a smile while her fingers couldn't help but play with the ring he'd given her. "As for Emmanual, probably the same. If I can help you with anything you should just say it though." Lúthien offered, figuring she might as well see if this lovely redhead really needed her fiancée or if she could help out in some way. She didn't really know the woman though and there was something about her that didn't strike Lúthien as particularly... Roman. "Are you new here? I don't think I've seen you around before. Not that it means much but yeah, I don't think I've seen you around before." Lúthien said curiously, smiling at the visitor. Lúthien smiled a lot more these days and those who remembered her from before her disappearance always seemed to have some trouble getting used to that particular change. It was nice though, being able to smile a lot more freely. She waited for the redhead to speak, the smile still lingering and her fingers still playing with her engagement ring. She was happy.

Instead of Calix, Adele found herself faced with a taller girl, though not quite as tall as Calix - that was a feat many fell short of. For more than a few seconds, Adele felt herself staring at the girl, who was jaw-droppingly gorgeous in a way that precious few college girls could even hope to be. Smiling, refreshed, healthy and at peace was something Adele had yet to feel all at once, she was certain. Yes, there were times that Adele felt like all of those, but the happiness was often clouded by worries of another topic, or she was running on less than five hours of sleep and more than a touch loopy as a result. This girl was by far, and more, everything that Addy wanted to be 24/7, especially during the school year. By projection, Adele awarded the girl constant energy (though she truly had nothing to base that claim off of - the girl might've just woken up, for all Adele knew) and felt herself being torn between immense jealousy and admiration. She probably doesn't have to use a step stool around the house, either, Adele added dryly, snapping out of her revere only just in time to hear what the girl was saying.

The use of "praetor" caught Adele off guard - over the summer, she had been aware that the Romans used different, latin, words than the Greeks' english (Adele had definitely had her bratty, spoiled opinion of which was better, but that was one of the few subjects where she hadn't made faces every time the other was used, only when she mixed the two up), but had never quite figured out which was which between praetor and centurion. Unsure of who was who (Addy couldn't remember if Calix had ever given his last name) the first thing that came to mind also came out of her mouth: "Oh, so he's doing better." The face that accompanied those words was pleasant enough, mildly excited, but, like Adele, completely unaware of any relationship between this girl and Calix, and how her apparent familiarity could screw things up. If there was one thing Addy was good at, it was making false assumptions and running with them as if they wouldn't offend anyone, completely ignorant that they were or the polar opposite of dancing on her toes through a situation which was as sensitive as a cactus in the desert. That day was most certainly not the latter.

"He's sleeping well, eating right?" Adele continued, putting her hands in her front pockets, as if there was nothing more natural in the world than discussing a person who she barely knew in such a manner. "Is he getting his muscle back? I hope he's not skipping leg day," she added, only beginning to realize how this conversation must sound from the other side, as things slowly began to click into place. A girl, opening a guy's door with the most confidence and care-free attitude Adele had seen in a long time? Reflexively, the Coloradan looked at the girl's left hand, her unspoken question answered almost immediately. Back up, the sane, rational part of Adele's mind thought, and her face expressed the sudden panic she felt - what if this gorgeous, happy girl that Calix had had an affair? Adele was the only one that could be blamed, and oh dear god, she'd asked about his muscles! From an athlete the question didn't mean much - it was a question about his physical state as much as it was his mental, but her choice of jeans and hoodie hid the muscle Adele had struggled to keep during the school year - as far as she knew, Adele looked exactly like an awkward ex, looking to reconnect. After a few seconds' worth of silence on her own end, Addy opened her mouth, completely ignorant of if the girl was talking at that point. "I'm so sorry - I swear it's not what it sounds like."

Lúthien had to admit she was a little confused by the redhead. She didn't seem to take to the Roman terms like most others did. It was probably nothing more than a presumption but Lúthien had found she had always carried most of the Roman terms within her blood. The Praetor was somebody who had earned the respect of every Legionnaire and even though Lúthien had somehow managed to throw that particular tradition completely to the wind by being the sister of one and the lover of the other, she still respected both of them as her leaders. She just didn't even treat them like leaders, since that was secondary to her and she didn't do well with authorities. She had no problem with flat out refusing orders if the wrong person gave them, something she blamed on the chaos in her veins, courtesy of Discordia. Still this girl did not seem very Roman somehow and it made Lúthien suspect the girl was a Greek, which made no sense at all. What business would a Greek have within the Roman camp, searching one of their Praetors? Unless something bad had happened. Lúthien just hoped that wasn't the case and that she was somehow mistaking.

When the woman spoke, it was instantly obvious that she wasn't new around here. She knew Calix, it was obvious from the question she asked. There was a small pang of guilt as she remembered the state he'd been in. In a way, that entire fiasco had been her fault and to remember what a state he'd been in when she got back, knowing that he already was starting to recover, that was something Lúthien still had trouble dealing with. She blamed herself and in all honesty wished that he'd never have to go through such a thing again. Once had been bad enough for him and up to a certain point, she was sure she had gotten the better deal. "Yes, he's a lot better." She said with a soft smile. It was still a little hard to think back on what had happened to them. At least things had gotten better. Lúthien absently started rubbing her arms as she often did when people reminded her of the things she'd gone through. Almost as if she tried to rub the scars away but she kept the smile on her face nonetheless. Damaged but happy, that was probably the best way to describe her lately.

She nodded as the girl rattled off a list of questions, getting slightly more and more confused. Was she like his doctor or something? She seemed like the kind of person that could help people on their path to recovery, although she wasn't quite sure how Calix fitted into the picture, apart from the fact he really hadn't been okay. Had she been helping him move on or was Lúthien missing something completely again? She knew she could be rather dense at times and she started feeling more and more like she was missing something big. When panic suddenly was evident on the face of the other woman, Lúthien really got confused. What was she missing? Slowly it started dawning on her, as the girl apologised and said it wasn't what it sounded like. It was sounding a little odd in a way, the questions she asked. Most of all to those who didn't know enough about the background of Calix's depression to know just how bad he'd been. Lúthien felt a small chuckle escape her lips. "Don't worry about it. I know he didn't cheat, I saw what he was like and at that point he was already recovering. Besides, I could hardly blame him if he did, as he thought I was dead. I'd only be upset that he'd moved on that fast if he had. I'm Lúthien by the way, his fiancée. I'm guessing you were helping him recover at some point?" She asked, now extremely curious about the short redhead. What was her story with Calix? If she had helped him in any way during her absence, Lúthien owed her a large amount of gratitude. If he hadn't been out and about by the time she'd gotten back, well it was doubtful that they had been back together already. It would have been rather tragic if she was hiding under his nose, in a way. At least now she had found out who she was rather quickly.

Regardless of how Adele was feeling, it felt good to hear that Calix was better. It calmed her slightly, helped her retrace her thoughts, and helped her focus on what she had said, and what the other girl was saying, or at least would say. The first deep breath brought out the paranoid person, the one that recently had started voicing the opinion that Adele was turning into one parent, than another. She'd gone off on her normal medical-related rant, which was second nature to her: taking like a sports trainer, nurse or mom was something she did often, certainly enough to earn her those nick names. That time on that day, however, was the wrong time for Adele to slip into that mode - she'd momed, a very large "no" when she was meeting new people that would actually remember her, the only exception was at parties, when those that had dragged Adele out with them were no longer in shape to be alone and needed a mom in order to remain in one piece. This girl did not fit the exception rule, and Adele glanced down in embarrassment, taking another slower breath to continue calming and thinking clearly.

The certainty that the girl with dark hair showed was amazing in Adele's perspective. It was certainly wonderful that the two trusted each other so deeply, but Addy couldn't help but flush with embarrassment. Almost exactly a year ago, Adele hadn't thought straight and had hooked up with someone that both this girl and Calix knew, almost certainly. That had meant cheating on her former boyfriend, a guy she had loved dearly and had only recently accepted a future without, and a complete lack of trust in herself (most would comment that it was weird it had taken Adele so long to get over someone she'd cheated on, especially when she had been the one to end it). Discovering that this girl hadn't worried about Calix thinking about other girls brought mixed emotions - some of Adele wished to call bull on that statement simply because he was human, but the remainder quelled that desire, wanting to believe that some people in the world were right and could be completely trust worthy - Adele just wasn't one of them. With the familiar feeling of resigned forever alone residing in its usual place in her stomach, Addy finally opened her mouth to respond, knowing full well her face had probably shown the exact roller coaster her thoughts had gone on, expressions she normally tried to hide.

"I'm Adele, and Calix did a lot of coming back on his own. Elijah took better care of Calix than I did," she started, a shadow of a smile on her face. Adele had gifted the praetor a nalgene after forcing him to drink a majority of the contents, the first sign of a positive relationship between the two. Elijah, however, had brought him solid food. The Coloradan found it doubtful that the other praetor entered his counterparts rooms to wake him and get him moving - the first time Adele had seen Calix was not on purpose, and had been completely candid. She'd been unreasonably stubborn, but so had he. Calix had chosen to stay with her, watch the threat that somehow endangered his fragmented life. Everything from that point on had been Calix driven, as she remembered it. Plus, she was uncomfortable taking compliments off all sorts, especially when she truly believed that they weren't deserved - the duo had simply bonded over their passion for doing their work, and Addy had probably presented herself as a small (literally and figuratively) thorn in his side, one he handled admirably. "Congrats on the engagement, though," Addy added in a rush, reminding herself that no, she would not ask how old this girl was. Records in the Big House already told Adele that Calix was younger, and looks said this girl was even younger still, or at least more innocent and potentially energetic.

Lúthien was starting to feel a little odd, talking to this girl from the doorframe of Calix's bedroom. She took the step outside and closed the door, casually leaning against it. She realised her attitude and posture were slacking and very not Roman in their way but the daughter of Chaos actually liked it. It was a rebellion against the Gods themselves and her boyfriend was leader of their legion. He loved her despite her rebellious nature and slightly defiant actions. He'd chosen her in all the Legion, not some girl that was like him but her, a near complete opposite. She wasn't sure exactly how long they'd been together but she was kind of sure it wasn't as long as usual for people who got engaged. After the events of the past year, she could hardly blame him for proposing and she couldn't have stopped herself from accepting if she'd wanted to. Life was short after all and she'd seen that part of it. Unpleasant memories, for as far as there were any. It hadn't made her more Roman though, she remained obviously chaotic and against the stream of things.

She noticed the changes in the face of the girl. The sceptic part was hard to miss, but it made Lúthien smile inwardly. Slowly, her face started to go back to it's old habit of displaying no emotion. Her expression turned slightly blank and nothing betrayed her feelings any more. She was amused and thought it was rather funny. Still, the mask was an instinct, a protection of sorts. This girl was not Roman, Lúthien could feel it. The chaotic part of her wanted to play with this girl, see what chaos could do to her. She knew that was rude and since she was actually trying to be a better person, she knew she had to resists the urge of throwing waves of chaos at the other girl just for the fun of it. She looked on calmly while she could feel the chaos stirring inside. It was delicious and it had been a long time since she'd felt it. Chaos had been mostly absent for weeks by now and the last really strong visit had been back in Scotland. It was tempting.

"Well you must have done something." Lúthien stated almost bluntly. A small smile grew on her face. "It probably doesn't help you're not particularly Roman. After all that happened....." The smile faded and a dark expression passed her face. Her relaxed attitude vanished for a moment as her hands closed around her arms, the scars there almost burning. "...after that I guess his loyalty was all he had. He needed to recover that." She stated in a slightly numb voice. The chaos was still there but no longer tempted her, it brought her comfort like finding an old friend again. All strong emotions created that chaos radiation and although it wasn't extremely strong, it was heavy in the air. She forced it down, letting it disperse as she heard the congratulations. It was like a bunch of dark shadows fled the room and Lúthien looked down at the ring. "Thank you Adele." She said softly with a slight smile. "I know we might seem young but I couldn't imagine spending my life with anybody else. "He saved my life and brought back the memories I lost. I know I still have many lost ones but somehow knowing he's there gives me courage." She said and she smiled brightly. "A strangely strong bond for ones as young as we are, wouldn't you think?" She asked with a twinkle in her eyes. It was a challenge to balance truth with politeness. Lúthien quite enjoyed doing that. Which answer would Adele give to that?

Adele's lips formed a tight smile, ready to offer another denial without much hesitation - very rarely was she comfortable taking credit for something that could easily be another's work, like Calix's resurfacing. She was aware of what she had done and how he had reacted, but by her own observations, she could have easily been replaced with anyone else, and the result would have generally been the same. It probably would have taken a Greek rather than a Roman, if it had not been Adele, and a Cabin Leader, more likely. Calix had needed someone that was stubborn and didn't fear the punishments that a Praetor could place on anyone else in the legion. Elijah may have been able to get his partner going, but Calix had seniority between the two, and Addy knew how that stumbled people sometimes, though she did her best to ignore that invisible barrier. That strategy had worked somehow over the summer, but hadn't since then, largely because she hadn't been working, but studying.

The comment about Adele's non-Romaness caught her by surprise, the smile fading and eyebrows raising slightly. There was a double negative, a surprising amount of tact, and a reference that Adele didn't know the context of. Putting effort into the smile to keep it in place (and more friendly) and her eyebrows down, she fought a feeling of ease that made her want to shift her weight and cross her arms over her chest, a defensive posture, definitely. Something about Lúthien was off-putting, and Adele did not like it. Was the fiance challenging Adele's intentions with the Romans and the Greeks, implying Addy had opinions that the red head, in fact, did not have? Or was she just commenting and Adele completely reading the taller girl incorrectly, as she had had a tendency to do when she first at the camps? Given the next sudden change, when looking at her ring, the chance Lúthien had been trying to provoke the Coloradan was small, and Adele let that portion of the conversation drop, hoping it didn't come up again before she had time to find out what had happened.

Despite Adele's recent decision to cut Lúth some slack, Adele still knew a challenge when she heard one. Just like Angie after a night out, Addy thought, bracing herself for an intense passive-aggressive fight that women, as a gender, had perfected the art of throughout the centuries. Slowly, Adele pulled her gaze away from the ring (it was very sparley), she focused on Lúth and matched her smile. "Love's strange by itself, there's no need to complicate it by involving what it does to people," she began, glancing down at her hands, which were still stuck in her pockets, though enough of her fingers stuck out to show there was no ring on her left hand. "But regardless of that, I think it's weird to ask an opinion of someone you just met and definitely hasn't gone through anything like you have. Plus, where I'm from, you just don't get engaged until you're done with school," Adele finished, shrugging gently and nonchalantly, though she watched Lúth's face, curious to see if she passed the test, whatever it was.

Along with the stacks of paperwork that Calix had to endure every day, he also found himself participating in duties and activities that a regular Legionnaire’s schedule was mainly made up of. These activities included guard duty up on Camp’s walls, and even partaking in their mealtime if one of those shifts ended up being close to the noon hour. Sitting on the wall gave the praetor a nice view of the Long Island Sound along with time to think. Without his papers, he’d usually be fidgeting, fingers looking for a pen to hold, longing to do something productive. Calix had to remind himself that sitting there was productive, just in a different sense of the term. And he had to admit, he did enjoy a little bit of the down time. Calix kept his eyes open at all times, scanning the horizon for any sign of attack. From one of those little scorpions the Greeks liked to keep stocked in their woods to an ambush from the orange-clad teenagers themselves. The thought made his senses sharper, and he pulled himself from the edge of a dreamland.

It’s not that Calix thought the Greeks dangerous like many other Romans. He still didn’t hold them in high regard and had his reservations when it came to dealings with them. But it had almost been two years. Camp Jupiter and New (new) Rome were thriving again. If the Graeci wanted to strike, it would have been done. When they were still rebuilding. When they were at their weakest. Now new demigods traveled to Camp Jupiter almost as often as their Camp Half-Blood. They had order. Structure. Strength. And the Greeks wouldn’t stand a spitting chance. Calix didn’t exactly know the diplomatic relations between the two camps. It was always thought to be an unspoken truce. They’d keep to their side as long as the Greeks kept to theirs. So on and so forth. The Romans had done one further and opened their gates, allowing visitors and consequently allowing for friendships between the two sides to begin. He himself wasn’t stranger to that occurence. At that thought, Calix’s shift ended. He looked at his watch before climbing down the ladder. He wouldn’t join his fellow guards for lunch that day but pick up something and join his fiancée for a bite before returning to his paperwork.

Calix moved quickly through the line, filling two paper lunch bags, nodding the people who greeted him with a smile before heading back to the Principia. He skipped a step or two leading to his home and stopped right at the doorway. Calix ran his free hand through his hair, fixing up a section of his armor which had gone a little bit off alignment. A bit ridiculous, but the Legacy always desired to look impeccable. Especially with Lúthien behind the door. Again an unneeded thought since the woman had seen Calix in sweatpants and at his laziest when it came to dress. Chuckling, he opened the door with his shoulder. “Lúthien….” he started. Two people were in the Principia. Both familiar, both female, both… talking. Calix blinked. He glanced at Lúthien then at the other girl. The fiery hair was unmistakable. “And Adele.” He placed the lunch on his desk. Immediately the praetor gravitated toward his fiancée and made his way to stand by her side. He offered the Greek who had come to be a bit of a work partner a kind smile. “It’s good to see you.”