The Future Waits ((Violet))

There were days when Reiko lingered in the arena even after her training sessions were over. Using one of the poor dummies donated by the Greek camp, Reiko worked on the precision of her cuts and thrusts. She didn't mind the sweat dripping down her forehead, or the weight of the Roman armor on her back and shoulders. To the campers who were getting ready for dinner, she probably looked completely gung-ho and ridiculous, but some of the newly claimed ones would probably understand. Reiko had been at camp for more or less a couple of weeks already, and there was still no sign from her mother. At this point, she didn't even know what she should do anymore to get claimed. If Portland and Hawaii weren't enough, then she was quite sure her hard work in the arena was nothing. Still, she cut at the dummies until her arms and legs felt sore, her back feeling as if she had been carrying the sky for weeks. Since Lupa arrived at the doorstep of her aunt's New York apartment, Reiko never entertained any delusions about her mother being present in her life. Her dad was enough. Aunt Mizuki was enough. Heck, Melissa was enough, even though she was more like an older sister than a maternal figure. It wouldn't hurt, though, to know who her father had fallen in love with.

She had imagined their love story so much that it sometimes felt as if she were there to witness it. Her father, a struggling musician, had been singing sorrowfully in the rain when an umbrella appeared over his head. It was such a soppy beginning to a love story, and yet it never failed to make Reiko smile. And though her father dated other women when she left, their first meeting was his favorite story to tell. Their memories brought a sparkle to his eyes, something which all the other women could never seem to do for him. Now that she was nineteen, Reiko often wondered if there was anyone out there who could bring a sparkle to her eyes. Kiera was beautiful, but she belonged to an entirely different world, a world in which she did not have to worry about monsters, vengeful gods and warring camps. And during Reiko's journey throughout America, there were always passing affairs—bus ride romances, stolen glances at coffee shops, and all those other bite-sized fragments of experiences which Reiko could never keep. Somehow it seemed as if everything was a fleeting train ride.

The only thing to do, then, was to channel all that longing into something else. She may never meet her mother, or someone she could share those little moments of wonder, but at the very least she could do something productive with her life. She had a long list of things to do, too: create a support group for a community in need, do at least five good deeds a day, train with her pugio like there's no tomorrow, give her two hundred percent at her part-time job, be a shining example of Roman virtue and excellence... perhaps she was rather over-ambitious, but it was better to keep herself at work rather than to stay useless and anxious. Of course, most of the time she couldn't even do at least one thing on her list, but at least she had goals. At least she wouldn't sit around all day waiting to see if Violet would call on her in the Third Cohort. If the Daughter of Ceres even thought about her at all.

Waiting was such a chore, and she didn't want to be Cinderella in a world where she could be Wonder Woman. There was no need to wait for a fairy godmother when she could throw her lasso at life. This was the way she would live. She wouldn't wait for her Centurion to order her to train harder, or for her godly mother to give her a superpower. And maybe, just maybe, she'll soon be worthy of a claiming. And of a story in which she gets a happy ending. With measured steps towards the dummy, she gave all of her attention to her training, not realizing that a certain dark-haired girl was nearby.

Violet was drawing again. She'd been drawing significantly more lately, a surge of inspiration filling her mind. She was drawing practically anything she could think of. People ah knew, both from camp and home. Buildings around New Rome, weapons she saw being carried by various campers, and of course, flowers. She's developed a sort of obsession with flora ever since being claimed by Ceres. She wondered what her mother was doing right now. Probably creating new plants, or some crazy god stuff like that. Yeah.

She'd been in the middle of drawing a rabbit when she'd realised she'd left her staff at the arena. She was there earlier drawing people in armour. Not... In a creepy sort of way. Well, she just gave a glance or two every minute or so, and nobody noticed, so it was fine. Where else would she find somewhere wearing armour in this sweltering heat anyway?! Violet closed her notepad and put her pens back into her backpack, slinging it over her back before walking towards the arena, a skip in her step.

She'd been in a better mood lately, for whatever reason. She'd spent most her days drawing, training, and hanging out with Izzy. She was sure this routine could possibly get old at some stage, but for now it was great. She wasn't the party-hard girl she was back home, back before she knew she was a demigod. Back then she'd sneak out at night and get into all sorts of trouble with her friends. Camp Jupiter didn't provide much opportunity for that sort of thing. Sneaking out wasn't very easy, and most of her new friends wouldn't be keen on getting in trouble.

As a result, Violet had become a bit calmer since arriving at camp. Rather than spend her weekends at clubs or house parties, she found herself around campfires, listening to stories of questing half-bloods, of the monsters they'd killed and gods they'd met.

Violet arrived at the arena to find it pretty much empty, save for one girl practicing against a dummy. She was fighting with determination, like she really wanted to kill the dummy she was beating on. As Violet closed in behind the girl, she began to recognise her. She was pretty sure it was Reiko Kaiou, but she had yet to see this girl's face, so she walked around the other side of the dummy, where her staff was lying on the floor.

It certainly was Reiko. She recognised the girl's pretty face as soon as she layed eyes on it. She waved, stomping her left foot on the ground. Her foot landed on the very end of her staff, causing it to pounce up from the ground, after which she caught it in her hand, leaning it against her left shoulder. A trick she needed to practice hundreds of times before she got right, but it was so damn satisfying
"Hey Reiko", she greeted, a little smile resting on her face. She wondered what the girl was doing training at this hour. Most people would probably be heading for some food right now. "Training for something?", she asked, taking a seat on the bench near the dummy, crossing one let over the other. She wondered if she should leave the girl to it. She could have been training for a duel or something. She tilted her head a fraction to one side. "I can come back later if you want".

A female voice interrupted her thoughts. Mid-lunge, Reiko almost lost balance and was only able to save herself with a quick, firm step. Though they had only met recently, she didn't have to turn around to know that is was Violet Clarke who had spoken. Violet, the artist Daughter of Ceres who had fascinated her with her drawings and purple streaks. If Reiko had been the type to swear, she would've bitten back a curse. She wasn't exactly at her prettiest today—with her ponytail almost undone due to the training and her sweaty hair and shirt underneath the armour, she probably smelled like a locker room after gym class. Instead, Reiko managed to smile as she turned to Violet, who was leaning on the staff she had just... what was the word... kicked up? From the floor. Upon making eye contact with the Daughter of Ceres, Reiko lost her train of thought.

"Salut, Violet," she began in French, though it wasn't long before she realized her mistake. "Ah, I mean, hey." Internally, she was berating herself. Ah, I mean, hey? That was real smooth, Reiko. It annoyed her to realize that no matter how much she had been through, she still couldn't function like a normal human being around girls she found remotely attractive. And how she hated being awkward too. Did Ugly Betty, with her glasses and braces, even fumble with her words this much? For all of the time she spent watching Audrey Hepburn films and all those other movies, she still couldn't get how people managed to be so charming. Her own shyness was just pathetic, like a cardboard sign screaming "Look at me, I have anxiety!" She hoped her bright smile at least made up for how bad she was being with words at the moment. "No, no," she replied, perhaps a bit too eagerly. Juno on a popsicle stick, she needed to get herself together. "I'm just... I have a free schedule for the afternoon, so I decided to train."

Meanwhile, it seemed like Violet hadn't come to the arena to train. Though she was holding on to her staff, she wasn't wearing Roman armour. Perhaps she was just passing by. Her offer to come back later certainly meant two things: that, one, it was Violet's break/free time at the moment, and two, she was up for hanging out with Reiko. The latter definitely made Reiko feel a bit flattered. Hanging out definitely would be great, if it weren't for the fact that they would probably have to talk three feet away from each other just so Violet wouldn't be disgusted by her post-training semi wet look. Gods, Melissa would've found this adorable and hilarious. In Reiko's opinion, though, it was quite sad how she never seemed to run into her crushes when she was at her best dressed. What gives, Fates?

"I was actually finishing up, so if you wanted to hang out, um, well, yeah, that's cool." A bit self-consciously, she took off her armour as she walked towards the bench where she had placed her bag. The state of her shirt called for a new one. Though Reiko was quite happy with her toned body, it was another thing entirely to just change in front of Violet. Since she didn't want to scare Violet away, she opted for the towel instead, thinking she might continue training later anyway. A little break wouldn't hurt, especially since she had packed some sandwiches for when she got too lazy to go to the mess hall. She fished for the sandwiches from her tote bag and offered one to Violet. Eating with someone always helped Reiko feel less self-conscious, since at least she wouldn't have to worry about what to do with her hands. She supposed it must be why some people liked to drink and/or smoke as a way of socializing. "Would you like some? Um, anyway, if I may ask, what brings you to the arena if you're not training today? And wow, I've never seen anything like your staff around here. Is it... did Ceres give it to you?"

From the day they'd met, Violet had found Reiko to be quite shy, though she knew there was much more depth to the girl. It was like she had a lot to say, but was unsure if she should say it or not. The daughter of Ceres knew that with time, as their friendship developed, she'd grow to understand Reiko much more. She was already learning a whole lot about Reiko, like the fact that she spoke French. Violet barely suppressed a smirk as Reiko reverted back to speaking English. It seemed that everyone around camp had their own little quirks.

Reiko explained that she was just training in her free time. The girl certainly looked like she'd been working hard. Violet could respect that. She'd done her training today. Instead of training with her spear, she instead practiced her acrobatic skills. Being evasive was just as important as being able to swing a weapon.

Reiko then asked if Violet wanted to hang out, to which the purple-haired girl nodded in response."I'm free until dinner, so yeah, we can chill", she smiled. Violet strapped the staff to her back, where it rested against her sleeveless leather jacket. Reiko asked what brought Violet to the arena, which led the girl to point at her staff with her thumb. "Left this in the arena. I don't even know why I brought it, I wasn't using it for practice earlier". In truth, Violet rarely left the barracks without her staff, it was becoming a part of her, weirdly. Reiko was admiring the staff, which caused Violet's smile to broaden proudly. "Yes Ceres gave it to me when I was claimed, pretty cool eh?", she said nostalgically. She wondered what Reiko's idea was to hang out, whether they were going to just chill at the arena, or go and do something more exciting. Violet would understand if it was the former, as Reiko was probably tired after her training."So what's the plan?".

((Sorry this is a little short!))

"Free until dinner." The words rang in her head, showing her all of the possibilities for the rest of the afternoon. It was one of those times when Reiko wished she had Melissa's easy way around people—her surrogate sister was funny and charismatic, while she was just... plain old boring and shy Reiko, a regular at the New Rome library and Camp Jupiter lake. She couldn't imagine why Violet would want to hang out with her, since she had no idea at all what she offered in terms of socialization. Violet, who had strapped her staff on her back, didn't seem particularly picky about what they would do, at least. Still, she didn't want Violet to think that she was boring and unimaginative. The library was out of the question, of course—they wouldn't be able to talk there, and Centurion Nazari would probably make her do half a day of rigorous training if she disturbed the silence. And if she hadn't been too tired to go for a swim, it still meant having to drop by their respective barracks to get their swimwear.

At this point, perhaps the best option was to ask Violet what she liked doing. It would be a way to get to know the girl, not to mention it would give her an idea of what they could do until dinner. She tried to ignore the pang of envy she felt as she thought about Violet receiving the staff from Ceres. Perhaps her own mother had her reasons, but she was already nineteen and still unclaimed. Instead, she focused on the fact that Violet was claimed, and that it probably made her really happy to know who her godly parent was. The staff was beautiful and powerful, which suited Violet perfectly. Reiko wouldn't be surprised to know that Violet had admirers who also feared her—there was something about the girl that was intimidating, after all. Perhaps it was the purple streaks on her hair, or the leather jacket, which denoted confidence. "It is cool," she nodded, smiling at Violet after a quick glance at the staff. You are cool. She would never say it out loud, not when she knew she could end up stumbling over words, but she dared herself to look Violet in the eyes as she spoke. Perhaps that would send the message.

If not, then she couldn't really blame Violet for not receiving it. Who was she kidding, really? The most flirtatious she had ever been was when she came up to Kiera a long time ago and said, "We should play video games together one of these days." It wasn't like she could use that now with Violet—she had no video games to pass the afternoon time with, not even a Nintendo DS (which sucked considering how much she enjoyed catching Pokémon). Remembering her video games, though, gave her a good idea. And weren't the icebreakers in those school leadership activities almost always games (no matter how cheesy they were)? "Um, what do you feel like doing?" Reiko asked in return, hoping it would give her a much better idea of what Violet liked to do to pass the time. She knew she had definitely been in the outside world for so long when she realized that it was difficult to think of relaxing, non-athletic activities. To her, a hangout usually meant watching a movie and then discussing it afterwards over coffee and crepes. "I'm still not used to life back in camp, so I haven't got much ideas myself," she said with an apologetic smile. "I don't mind walking around and talking, if you don't mind that. We could even play 'True or False.'"

The memory of the first time Reiko ever played True or False made her smile fondly. Normally, it was played as a drinking game, but she and Kiera managed to play a modified version while hanging out at a park in Portland. Whoever gets it wrong three times in a row would have to shout something embarrassing that the other person suggested. That way, they wouldn't even need the idea of having to take a shot to make the game exciting. She could only hope that Violet wouldn't mind spending her afternoon playing such games.