Only Scar Deep (Number Four)

((Continuation from this thread.))

Septimus' first thought: Ah, shit! Clove's knife had cut his hoodie sleeve, and into his skin, making a thin, but pretty deep cut in his arm. He'd tried to move his hand away, and if he hadn't it probably would have been cut off. Even considering that, it was deep, probably going to leave a scar. Sure, he'd stolen her knife, but he didn't do any physical damage to her! It was bleeding, but he was cradling it against his body. Was it weird he could feel his heartbeat there, and not in his chest? That he could feel the blood coming out? Gods... sure, he may deserve some pain, but this, and a scar? He'd have to visit the infirmary for the third time that day later. Oh, what the Apollo kids must be thinking.

Still, she noticed she had her knife back. Yay, something more to torture him with for taking it. Now he had blood on the front of his hoodie, which was one of his favorites. Oh well, it was ruined anyway. Thinking this, he ripped part of the cut sleeve off, and tied it around the cut. Sep bit his lower lip, and took his eyes off his work, to see her putting the knife up to her face. He didn't hear the first tanks, but he did hear her call it Chaos. Wait, she called it Chaos? Well... that was a bit... Okay, Sep wasn't going to think about what it mus be used for with a name like that. He actually heard the next thank you, and was a bit annoyed. Sure, nearly cut his hand off, then say thank you.

"Don't thank me. Thank Alex, he said he'd slit my throat if I didn't give it back," Sep replied. It was true. Alex had said that he would use Sep's neck as his new sheath. That didn't seem like much fun, so Sep didn't had much of a choice. Walk out, retrieve the knife, give it to Clove. He'd expected to be killed, and was probably lucky she only tried to cut off his hand. Still, his good hand was going to be a bit useless for a while, considering it now hurt to move it. At least he could still run, if she decided to try and kill him. Sure, she'd put her knife on the wall, but that was her special knife. He probably wasn't worthy enough to be killed by it.

Clove hadn't even noticed the blood at first, yet now she could smell it. That strange and slightly intoxicating smell of metal with water and salt. She looked at Septimus and down at his arm. There it was, the source of the smell. She suddenly remembered how she'd slashed her knife at the hand that had touched her shoulder. With a concerned look she spoke. "You really should know that people like me, who have plenty of people wanting them dead, tend to overreact at the slightest touch when they don't see it coming? Be happy I hadn't been sleeping. I usually have a slice, stab and throw reflex at those moments." She realised he was losing blood too fast and walked up to the wall, where a medic kit hung. Clove wasn't surprised at all that the Ares cabin would have such a kit. Children of chaotic was were bound to fight often and some supplies were needed to keep it from getting out of hand.

Clove grabbed a nice big piece of medicinal cloth and needle and thread. She didn't bother looking for things to ease the pain, as if Ares kids would allow such things for stiches. Septimus would have to face this the hard way. She put the cloth on her bed and grabbed on of her knives, cutting his sleeve off without inflincting any more injuries to his arm. She did know how to handle her knives after all, both in the good and bad sense of the word. "Do you trust me?" She asked, leaving enough time for him to reply. "It doesn't matter though, you don't have a choice." She said and forced him onto the seat and removed the piece of hoodie. She grabbed the needle and thread and started sowing the flesh together. "Try not to scream too loud. I don't want people to think I'm torturing you. If I was, you'd be screaming louder than you knew you could scream." Clove said with a sigh as she tried to fix the damage she'd caused.

Pretty soon her hands were stained by the blood that had leaked from the wound. She had no doubts the stain on the floor might land her in trouble but she'd learn to live with it. She could always try to run for it and make a living in the big house and forest. She put a nice and firm knot at the end of the strings so that it would hold. It wasn't as neat as Glamour would have done it but it certainly would do, although he'd probably keep a scar. "I'm sorry. I just have some rather feral instincts. I doubt camp will ever manage to get those out." She said with a sigh and wrapped the clean cloth around his arm. "There. It should be fine now. Just don't do anything... stupid." She said as she let his arm go. Not that she wanted to, but she did.

She suddenly realised just how bad she probably looked. Her hair was a mess, that was beyond doubt. Her eyes were very likely to be red and all puffy because of the crying. Her hands and sleeves were covered in blood and Septimus was probably angry with her. Very angry. This probably wouldn't end too good for her. "I don't care that Alex told you to give it back. You gave it back in person and didn't leave it with a note. It means a lot to me. I'm sorry for cutting you up though, I didn't really intend to do that, if reflexes have intentions in the first place." She said and stared at the floor. She hoped he could forgive her. She regretted what she had done, for she thought Septimus could be a good friend for her, somebody that she could care about. She didn't really have many of those, let alone at camp. Alex had proven himself to be true, and so she decided to try and be nice to her, although she'd probably fail at it. It didn't matter too much, they always claim it is the thought that counts. "I guess I just want to be friends." Clove said, her eyes with hope as she looked at him again.

No, really? Nah, nearly slicing Sep's hand wasn't overreacting at all. Why would she think that? Still, if she was sleeping, he would undoubtedly be on the floor of the Ares cabin right now, dead. Well, he should be, anyway. He seriously expected to be dead, after taking the knife. Why wasn't he dead? Wait a moment... the room was spinning. Was it supposed to do that? He didn't feel too good... it felt like he was going to pass out soon. All he could manage to get out was, "Nyughhh." It wasn't a very happy sound, it was more of a walrus in pain than anything.

When she asked if she trusted her, he got a little worried. He couldn't really see what she was doing, because now his vision was going all blurry on him. "Depends what for," he was barely able to get out. As he was forced to take a seat, and could feel the parts off hoodie taken off his arm, he started to get worried. What was she planning to do? Oh gods... this couldn't be good... Wait. What?! Try not to scream to loud? What was she-- OW!!! Was she... stitching him?

He felt... mixed feelings. Why was she doing something nice for him? She had caused the damage, may as well keep it that way. Still, he'd been losing blood, fast. It hurt, bad, and he had to bite his tongue, causing further blood loss, to keep from crying out in pain. Still, he was pretty sure he'd grunted or something. It was hard to tell. "Shmeh," he said after she apologized. Septimus had expected worse, but still. Well, she'd done something about his hand, but he just wished she'd ran to the big house to get ambrosia or nectar or something. Then... she thought he was stupid. Whoop-de-doo.

Sep looked up at her, her screwed up hair, puffy and red eyes, and... her face. He quickly looked back at his arm, now bandaged. Septimus listened to her talk, then shrugged. This probably wasn't the best idea, for it moved his arm, and brought on a new wave of pain. Ughhhh. Well, now he knew never to go back into the Ares cabin, when Clove was the only one in there.

He listened to her last part, looked up, and attempted speech. "I--" Then the world went black. He slumped in his chair, passed out. Really, it was about time.

Clove hadn't had many good responses from people in her lifetime. People liked yelling at her, insulting her or just behaving plain old stupid. Clove didn't mind that much, she had gotten used to it and so his lack of coherrant replies didn't bother her too much. He managed to keep himself together as she stitched him up, which was impressive. She'd heard plenty people scream when the needle pierced their flesh. Clove suddenly felt a lot more respect and admiration for the boy.. untill he passed out. For a moment Clove just looked at him with a stunned expression but it soon turned to outrage. How dare he pass out on her?

"No, no no!" She told the passed out boy. "You are not going to pass out on me, you fool!" Clove, as some people might have noticed, isn't good with people when they are awake but she doesn't handle the sleeping ones any better. Clove looked around the room, slightly panicked. How in the world would she explain this if one of her siblings came in? Well, they wouldn't even know she was a sibling of theirs and as for the boy, they probably saw it as two demigods trespassing. This was not good. Clove, her hands in her hair took a deep breath, looking around the cabin. Ok, so there were plenty of weapons but those would kill him, not the plan. Clove resisted the urge to punch him in the face and break his nose, she'd done enough damage. She grabbed the first aid kit again and rummaged around in it. What was the stuff they used to cure demigods? Something to do with bees and wine?

Nectar and Ambrosia, naturally! Clove connected Ambrosia to wine because her mother used to drink bottles of the stuff each day, although that wasn't the godly stuff. Well, Clove didn't see the stuff and she wasn't sure if unconcious people could even use it. Not to mention she didn't have any Apollo kids around. She could try fetching one and risking Septimus being found by the Ares kids but that didn't seem like a very good idea. Clove made a strangled noise and grabbed a piece of Ambrosia from the medic kit. She stuffed a tiny bit in Septimus' mouth with a troubled expression and waited. She didn't see anything at all happening, not good. She stomped her foot on the ground and went to the bathroom, grabbing a glass there and filling it with water. It wasn't much but she didn't need much at all. She walked back to the beds and emptied the glass of water, above Septimus' head.

It was a bit of a last resort and she hoped it would work but she slapped his cheek (rather gently considering she was the daughter of Ares), hoping that might help wake him up. "Hullo?" She asked him. "Are you in there somewhere? If so, please wake up before my siblings come back and decide they don't like either of us?" She said. Why did she even worry about him? That wasn't like her at all. Yes, she did want to be friends with him but he'd passed out before giving her a proper reply, how irritating. With a frustrated sigh she sat down on her bed and impatiently tapped her foot, hoping he'd wake up soon. If not, she'd still drag him to the big house.

Septimus' dream was... odd. It was full of ice, and snow, and cold, and penguins. He had never really realized how creepy penguins were. They stare at you... then walk over to you, and try to attack you. Let's skip over that part, it really doesn't help much. The world had gone black, then... poof. He was in some kind of cold place, with penguins and snow. Wait. Where was he before this again? Oh yeah. The Ares cabin with Clove. He looked at his arm, which only had a scar now. Wait. She'd only cut it a few minutes ago. Now it was a scar? Weird. He looked up and saw... Ara? What was she doing in his dream?

He shook his head, and looked the other way. There was... snow, and ice. Well, this made a bunch of sense. Where was he, Antarctica? Suddenly a tourist passed him from behind and Sep got to look at his map. Yep, this would be Antarctica. The question is; why? Arabella in Antarctica? That just didn't seem right. Shouldn't she be at camp, and not on a different continent? Antarctica was a different continent, right? Sep couldn't be sure at the moment. Wherever he was, suddenly something was in his mouth. What the? Where had that come from?

Anyway, he was just looking around, turning in circles, when he felt something fall on his head. Was that... water? It seemed to wake him up a little, because this world got a little... faded, and more of it turned to black. The water was cold, and didn't help the fact that he was in Antarctica, freezing, with only a t-shirt, ripped hoodie, and jeans. To whoever controls dreams, thanks. You really are showing compassion in this one. He looked around again, until someone threw snow in his face. He seemed to be even more awakened by this, though it wasn't as cold as the water. It was kind of... warmer. Warm snow. Yep, he was going insane.

Anyway, it had taken him over the edge. The world faded to black again, and he was sitting in the Ares cabin. "Like either of us?" Was all he heard Clove say. His eyes were still closed, and so he slowly opened them. Then groaned. Why was it still so cold? Well, there was still water on his head. Sep still didn't understand why she didn't just run to the Big House and get some ambrosia or nectar. Well, what's done is done. "...Whab?" Sep had something in his mouth, so he chewed and swallowed. He felt warmer, but still a little cold. He blinked a few times, and eventually the blurryness went away. Clove was on her bed, tapping her foot. Well, she didn't seem too happy with him. Well, Septimus didn't really care right now. He just shivered, and said nothing.

Clove was really relieved when Septimus woke up again, and when he spoke she wanted to let out a huge sigh of relief. "I was saying that we don't need my siblings to come in here and beat us both to a pulp." She went over to him again and sat in a chair next to him, nervously fidgetting with a small piece of metal she'd somehow found on her pillow. How it had ended up there? Not a clue, although it had probably just been dumped on 'the empty bed' because nobody was using it when it got there. Either that or they had started putting traps on the beds.

With a sigh Clove looked at Septimus, thinking about everything that happened that day. The walk down memory lane, the talk with Septimus, running away and being knocked out with chloroform. Waking up in the big house to find her knives gone and Septimus guilty of taking them. Getting claimed, getting her knives back except for Chaos. Going to fetch it from Alex to find out he didn't have it. Running away from both boys and moving to the Ares cabin. Crying, being found by the guy who had caused said tears and nearly cutting his hand off so that he passed out. Yes, it had been quite an eventful day and the day wasn't over yet. A lot more could happen but Clove wasn't so sure she wanted more to happen, she wasn't sure she could handle it.

"Can we try to cause a little less drama from this point? I'm not sure how much more my brain can handle before it dies on me. I'm used to a slighly more steady lifestyle." She said, sounding rather tired, even to her own ears. It wasn't quite normal to call her lifestyle steady though, it had been extremely unstable but she'd always known what to expect and now she didn't. That was what made her feel out of balance. Her sense of balance seemed to be based on disbalance and chaos. The lack of rythm and sudden and impulsive decision of all the members of her old gang were so unpredictable that only they could see certain patterns in them. Clove smiled at remembering them but also felt a small pang of sorrow. She really missed them all.

"I guess it's just hard." She suddenly said, feeling like confessing her feelings. "For years I have counted on four people to get me through the day, to help me survive and to actually live my life. We always had fun and although we seemed to be fairly distant toward each other and didn't speak of many things, we would all place our lives in the hands of the others without a single doubt. I miss that, having somebody I can trust that much. Know them so well I could hear them approaching by the way they walked so I knew I didn't need to throw knives at them. It's just amazing really, how close you can be with people without needing or wanting to know their past. All that matters is you, them and the arms you bear together." Finally realising she was babbling, Clove shut her mouth and waited in silence. She'd already said too much.

Sep shrugged. When Clove told him about her siblings, he didn't care. Sep hadn't really done anything, you know, except put his blood on their cabin floor. Yet they may actually enjoy the blood stain on the floor. They were Ares kids, and you could never really know with them.

Sep looked up at Clove, and tried to stand up. Big mistake. He felt all dizzy, and a little sick. No, he couldn't vomit. Sep sat down again, and looked into Clove's brown eyes. Sure, they were tinted and looked more black, but he was pretty sure they were brown... or was it green? He wasn't going to take his glasses off to find out, so he just looked away, and listened to her. Again, he shrugged. She may be used to small drama, but he was used to none. "Fine, no drama."

He listened silently again, about her talking about her friends and stuff. He knew their names, as she'd said them only a small bit ago. It felt like forever ago, but it couldn't have been more than an hour. She'd called them... Meatcleaver, Glamour, Johnnyboy, and Brawler. At least he thought. Or was it... ah, Sep wasn't sure. How could he be, when he was just knocked out. "Umm... I advise to find someone you trust?"

Sep didn't really care there was nearly no one to trust at camp. He felt bad about making Clove cry, even if she had nearly murdered his hand. She deserved at least a little slack. He had kind of snuck up on her...

((So... short...))

((This is going to be short.. and probably suckish))

Clove didn't really know what to say anymore, so she simply said nothing. It wasn't like she needed to talk with him, she could throw him out. She didn't though, she was worried about him and his ability to reach safety on his own. He could stay here, for a while. Recover a little and maybe talk some more, although she didn't seem very talkative at that point. Not that Clove was usually much of a talker, she usually prefered taunting people and staring up some fights. A strange hobby but it made her happy. For some reason, she didn't prefer Septimus as one of her victims. She was about to try small talk when he suggested she'd find somebody to trust. What an idiotic idea that was.

Clove scoffed and looked at the boy with a scornful expression. "As if that would happen. I've managed to get at least half of camp to want me dead within my first few days. I doubt there is anybody in this godforsaken place who would want to be my friend without stabbing me in the back at the first opportunity." She said and suddenly laughed. Only she'd be crazy enough to call a place where the Gods were this obviously around 'godforsaken'. This was probably one of the least forsaken places on the world, by far less than the streets. Gods popped in to claim their children here, no doubt they kept their eyes open too. "I'm sorry," She managed to say between laughs. "That was really stupid. Godforsaken in a place crawling with divinities. I think I'm losing my mind." Clove admitted and she laughed again.

Her laugh was clear and bright, and most of all, it was true. It wasn't fake or filled with mean or cruel emotions. It was just laughing out of joy, a rare thing around Clove. It was truly a rollercoaster of emotions for the girl. She let herself drop on her bed, shoes on the sheets with the forest dirt still in it. Clove smiled and giggled. "So this is what a bed is like, I sort of forgot how comfortable they were." She said and laughed. No wonder people slept so easy in these things, they were like horrible traps to encase the vigilant and kill them in their sleeps, yet a very comfortable trap. "Beds are evil." Clove said thoughtfully, staring at the ceiling. She could elaborate but she didn't feel like it. What she meant was obvious enough and so why didn't have to be quite that clear.

Sep shook his head at Clove. Didn't she understand, if she was maybe a bit nicer, not everyone would hate her? Maybe, just maybe, if she didn't slash peoples' hands off each time the moved to lightly touch her on the shoulder, they wouldn't all be against her. Sep understood that you needed to be cautious when on the streets,but really. A hand on the shoulder could really kill someone, alright. Sep shook his head, and sighed. "Well, you know, maybe if you didn't try to slash peoples' hands off, maybe they wouldn't all want to kill you." He raised an eyebrow when she laughed, not really getting it. That is, until she explained it.

Okay, before you continue reading this, understand something. Septimus was not in a laughing mood. He didn't laugh at Clove's joke, or the fact she just said she was practically insane. He just shrugged, and bit his lower lip. What had that dream meant? Antarctica? He felt like the dream was important, but... wait. There was a girl there... in the dream he had known her name, but he couldn't recall it anymore. It was Beatrice, or something like that, right? He would soon learn, he hoped. Sep hated being in the dark, and not knowing things.

He kind of wanted to leave, just... run. He doubted he could, though. His arm still hurt a little, and he couldn't even stand. He barely heard her comment about the bed, and just said, "mm." Sep had never owned a bad before, because the streets didn't have beds, the orphanage was nearly full, and Sep slept on the floor, and Sep slept on the floor in the Hermes cabin. He'd never had the pleasure of sleeping in one of the "evil beds," though he sort of wanted to. Sleeping on the ground could get pretty uncomfortable, though Sep was used to it.

(Shortness =.=))

Clove sighed a little unhappy at that. "I'm sorry for that. I'm just a bit jumpy, it's in my nature." Clove sighed deeply and was suddenly feeling a little melancholy. "How was life on the streets for you? I have this crazy feeling you weren't one of the most wanted." Clove said, for the first time considering the option that life on the streets didn't have to involve as much crazy things as hers had done. She looked at Septimus and for the first time in ten years, she felt hope. Hope that her life could change and that she might not spend every waking moment expecting attacks from every living being. "How about I trust you? Promise me that you will not be the one to kill me and I'll trust you on that." Clove said. Normally, a promise was not worth a thing to her. Words, no matter how beautiful, didn't mean a thing, promisses were easy to break.

Septimus seemed to be thinking of something and Clove was curious what went around in his mind. She looked at him, trying to figure out what he could be thinking off. Whatever it was seemed to be frustrating him and that made Clove even more curious. "What are you thinking about?" She asked gently, looking at Septimus with a question in her eyes. She didn't really expect much of a reply but still, she was curious.

Septimus didn't comment much about the evil beds thing, making Clove wonder if he'd even slept on the things. He'd lived on the streets for a long time and the Hermes cabin wasn't known for free beds and so Clove wondered if he'd ever felt the evil pull of a soft, warm and comfortable bed. Clove got up from her bed and stood in front of Septimus with an evil grin on her face. "Well, since I'm currently playing doctor, I'm ordering you in bed until you have recovered enough to leave." She said. It was obvious enough she intended to get him on there one way or another and not in the way any perverts might have in mind. She'd just sit in the chair next to the bed, she could always sleep in it later, it was her own bed after all. "Well go on." She said with a twinkle in her eyes. She was having fun in her own special way and she didn't want it ruined by him refusing. Rolling his eyes and still listening? No problem but just sitting there and ignoring her would get him kicked out of her cabin, no matter how his health was.

Jumpy? She was a bit jumpy? A bit? Yeah, sure, only a bit. Sep understood, though, as when on the streets, you could be killed caught, captured, turned in to the police... you get the point, right? A lot of bad stuff could happen if you weren't able to wake up and run in a couple of minutes. Septimus tried not to think of the stuff that could happen every time he slept, and sometimes he still fell asleep telling himself he would see it through to morning without being found by the cops, and put in an orphanage. Let's just say, those nights were not the best for Septimus.

Sep laughed at the not most wanted comment. Hadn't he told her about Clay? He thought back to the woods, which seemed forever ago, but was truly only a few hours, at the most, ago. No, he didn't think he told Clove about her. Only about Alex. Well, Alex was quite enough to tell her about in a day, a week, a month, a lifetime, in Sep's opinion. He looked Clove in the eye for a moment before answering her. It felt like something had been exchanged between them in the few seconds their eyes met, but Sep didn't know what. Something important, that was for sure. For some reason, he felt like he could tell her, that there could be one person he could tell about his past, about what happened. "Wanted? I was anything but. People left me alone at 12, with just a backpack with food and such inside." He didn't mention Clay specifically, just in case. He wasn't sure if she would be more diligent in information, so he may or may not reveal her name in the future.

She was really going to trust Septimus? Okay, so the first time she met him, she thought he was trying to kill her, and now she was ready to trust him as much as she did the people she had spent her days with on the street? To Sep, that just didn't seem right. Heck, earlier today, she thought he was there to kill her, and now she was ready to trust him? Something fishy was going on here... but Septimus, still looking into Clove's eyes, didn't see any lies. Only hope. Yet hope for what? That Septimus wouldn't take her hope for granted, and try and kill her in her sleep? Sep wasn't sure if he wanted that. "I'm not really sure if both of us would want that." He looked away, at the floor.

He was thinking about the dream he now knew so little about. He just shook his head. "Nothing that concerns you." He paused for a moment, thinking. "I think." Surely it couldn't involve Clove? What would Antarctica have to do with Clove, and that mysterious girl? Sep wasn't really sure, nor did he really want to think about it right at this moment. What else was he going to think about, though, fluffy bunnies? Not likely.

Okay, pause. Clove, was asking him to... get in her bed? Man, that sounded wrong. Still, Sep knew what she meant, and was sure he couldn't stand, less likely walk to her bed. Standing up and falling would be stupid... and truthfully, did Sep want to try out a bed for the first time? Clove had said herself, they were evil. Maybe it was a good idea not to... besides, what would Clove do, carry him onto the bed? Somehow, he doubted she would. "I... um... can't."

Clove mused over what he said for a while. He hadn't been wanted on the streets, he'd just been living. While she'd been taking lives he'd been fighting to keep his own. Clove wondered what her friends would think of him but figured it didn't matter much. It wasn't like they were going to show up, fully armed and ready to kill. Well, they might if they could find and enter camp... Well, if they could enter camp, she knew Johnnyboy was an amazing tracker and might still be able to trace her after all these months. She realised that her life should not have been like that but almost killing her mother had made all chances for any type of normal wash down the drain. Throwing that knife had changed her life forever and she didn't even regret it. She was who she was and where she needed to be.

Clove didn't really reply, her life on the streets wasn't all that interesting. You could read half it in the papers, if you knew how to look for the details that told you she'd been involved. The signs were so subtle the cops hadn't even figured them out yet, much to the credit of each member of her gang. She suspected Septimus, like most kids on the streets who managed to survive, had been fully on his own, perhaps with an ally or two he would see on a rare occasion. Nothing like her, yet nobody ever was anything like her.

Clove froze for a moment as he didn't want her trust and claimed she didn't want it. Well, that wasn't true, she wanted to trust him and she had been willing to try. Not anymore though, he'd just managed to shatter the little hope she had for a normal life. It was obvious the only persons who would be worth her trust were on the streets, far away from her. She sighed and looked down at her bed, hiding the pain that showed in her eyes. "Maybe not." She admitted and her voice didn't reflect her inner turmoil. She wasn't going to kill him now or later but the notion of him hurt left her conflicted. Him being hurt seemed fair somehow but that didn't mean she wanted it. It was very much out of character for Clove to not want people hurt and so she wanted to know why she felt that way, leaving more reason to want to keep him functional for a little longer.

Clove shrugged when he said his vision or dream or thing didn't concern her. It wasn't like they were friends, she didn't have to care about his stupid dream. Yet she felt like it might have something to do with her. She dropped the idea and just stared at her bedsheet. She didn't really have anything left to say to him anymore. She just sat silently, with hardly any motion. She could have been a rock and showed more feelings. She didn't show much response but a shrug when he said he couldn't get in her bed. It was to be expected. Clove just got out of it and walked to the bathroom without a second glance. She washed her face up, trying to clear her mind but that didn't work out too well.

Clove looked back at the cabin area and although she couldn't see Septimus, she was fairly sure he was still there. With a sigh Clove sat down and tried to just relax and figure out exactly what she was feeling. She suspected she liked Septimus in a way but what way was a mystery to her. He'd run along and be gone soon enough but Clove really just wanted to hide in the bathroom (even though the door was still wide open) and wait for him to get up and leave. It could be a tiresome afternoon. She took a deep breath and looked at herself in the old and slightly cracked mirror. She really was a terrible mess. Ah well, it wasn't like she was the daughter of love.

For some reason, Sep felt bad about his answer. What if she meant actual trust? Would he be able to handle that, or any kind of trust at all? He didn't know, and Clove didn't really give him much of a reply. Her voice sounded fine, but was she hiding anything? If so, what exactly was it? He bit his lower lip in frustration, and eventually just said, "I mean... er..." The thing was, not even he knew what he meant. Gods, what was wrong with him? He was sitting there, looking at the ground, mouth partly open, as if to speak, not saying anything. He closed his mouth, and just shut up. Well, for a few moments, anyway. "I mean... I'm not going to kill you or anything. I think. Still, I'm not sure if you should exactly put your trust in me." He shrugged, still not wanting to meet her eyes.

Sep had never really been trusted, even Alex hadn't trusted him to do some things. He didn't know the feeling of being trusted, and wasn't sure if he wanted to. It seemed like it would just be another thing looming over one's shoulders, another thing to take care of. Another thing to make life harder. One more thing to complicate everything, one more thing to make people suffer. To Sep, it didn't seem fair, but really, in the messed up world called Earth, what was fair? Okay, enough with the philosophical questions. Sep wasn't really sure if he wanted to feel what trust was, as he'd only trusted one person in his life, and that person had only trusted him a little bit. Sep wasn't sure if he would be able to trust someone until he'd known hem for a while, much less a few days, but...

Sep didn't even notice when Clove left the room, he just sat there, thinking. He didn't hear the running water, he didn't do anything... just stared at the floor... thinking. Thinking about Alex, Clay, trust, his dream... anything that ran through his mind, really. Mostly, though, it was about Clay. Yes, an odd think to be thinking about at that moment, but he didn't care. Had Clay trusted him? Sep seriously doubted it, as she had just let him go off, on his own, with just a backpack and what he'd learned on the streets so far. She hadn't trusted him enough to take him with her, maybe just for a day or two, or do much for him. Yet another reason why Sep thought life was unfair.

((Blergh, so short >.<))

Clove listened to the water running, letting the sound calm her down for a bit. So he didn't want her trust, what was he to her? Did he know how she suffered being at this camp? Probably not as his life had been so different. She dreamt of freedom for such a long time. A sweet dream that just had to break and pass by her. A love for violence that wasn't allowed to exist in this world. Not even the daughter of Ares was allowed to be aggresive and violent, she could feel it in her siblings. People tolerated their bullying but their desire for blood and battle was quenched, their thirst for war ignored. They were forced to live in a peace that wasn't in their nature. Clove had felt it in her very being the moment she had first met the children of Ares. They resented camp for not letting them free but they allowed it, made docile by their cage. Clove was still burning bright and she realised she could create a bright fire in all her siblings, causing war and chaos. Yet Clove wasn't a general, Meatcleaver was. Clove, in her own way was the perfect soldier.

Clove sighed and closed the tap, making her way back to find Septimus thinking. She stood there for a while, studying him in silent thought. She hadn't met many people at camp and she doubted she'd ever meet any people like him. She wondered for a moment if he'd be accepted if she brought him along to meet the gang. She didn't think Brawler would care either way, she didn't like guys. Glamour would probably accept him but she expected that Johnnyboy would find it funny or needed to challenge him. As for Meatcleaver, he'd be plotting his demise untill Septimus proved himself one way or another. Meatcleaver was the one who was always ready to kill but he had the uncanny ability not to let it show. She had seen it once, just after she'd joined the gang. She had felt him staring and had looked back at him for half a second. Glamour had been teaching her a thing or two about bowmanship but Clove had seen the hatred and suspicion in the eyes of Meatcleaver. That was when she's started sleeping with a knife in her hand.

"Septimus. I don't care if you like it or not but I am going to trust you. One way or another, you'll be the end of me." She said, whispering the last part. She could feel it the moment she'd given him her trust. It didn't bother her though, knowing that he'd somehow be her end. It could mean that things would change and she'd give up her own life for him or something strange like that. She didn't think it possible but she believed her mother about not dying in battle. Where he fit in, she didn't know but the feeling had been extremely strong, even though it lasted for little over a second. She walked up to Septimus and held her hand out. "Allies?" She offered, as she felt friends was a too strong word. If being allies worked, they could always consider being friends later. Yet naturally being allies didn't mean Clove wouldn't hurt Septimus if he'd deserved it, it did mean she wouldn't hurt him if he didn't deserve it.

((Short, sooo sorry ))

((BHSKHB I am so sorry that this is very, very, very late D:))

Septimus couldn't hear the water running in the bathroom, couldn't hear anything, see anything. For some reason, the world just felt like... he didn't know. It didn't feel like the world he knew anymore. His world had been turned upside down, inside out, and thrown around in the past few minutes. What had happened to him? He didn't know why he felt like this, and he wasn't sure if anyone else would. Some people may think trust was a good thing, that you should be a trustworthy person, but truthfully? Sep wasn't. If Clay hadn't trusted him, why should anyone else? Clove of all people, shouldn't be the one to trust him. What had happened to the Clove that thought Sep was trying to murder her that he saw in the woods earlier today? Septimus wasn't really sure which Clove he liked better. The one doing whatever it was she was doing in her bathroom, wanting to trust Sep, or the one that thought he was going to kill her, not to be trusted at all. He'd no idea what trust felt like. He sighed, at least Clove said that she wouldn't trust him.

The poor boy was thinking so hard he didn't even notice when Clove came back into the room. Not that he would have cared even if he did notice. It was her cabin, and she could walk into it all she wanted. It was Sep who didn't belong. He didn't belong anywhere, if one thought about it long and hard enough. He didn't really belong in the Hermes cabin, as he was pretty sure Hermes wasn't his father, he was sure he didn't belong in Ares, he didn't belong on the streets, or at least not fully. No one (besides Alex, of course) had really accepted him there, and it simply felt that if his parent had done whatever they did so he was alone, he would've had a perfectly normal life (or at least normal for demigod standards), would have gone to camp at the normal age, would've been a nice kid. Instead, his parent had done whatever they did, he ended up alone, was thrown into life on the streets, and now... now he didn't even know his last name.

Sep was still thinking when someone speaking had grasped his mind and taken him out of his little black hole that separated him from the world. Hypothetically, of course. He looked up at Clove, barely hearing what she said consciously, but unconsciously, he understood every word, and didn't like what he heard. It took a few moments for the words to travel from his unconscious mind to the conscious one, and for him to comprehend them. She was going to trust him when he had told her she shouldn't? When he had told here he didn't want that to happen? He didn't want for himself to hurt her, which he felt might happen. Yet at the same time, he wanted to punch her in the face. It was clear she was going to trust him anyway, and he didn't exactly want to hurt her by denying her again. Still, though, he did not want the trust, or whatever came with it. He wanted.... he didn't know. He wanted a normal life.

At first, Sep didn't take her hand, he just stared at it. It was her right hand, but Sep was left-handed. Still he had injured his left arm, so it only made sense she held out her right hand, right? Maybe she was just right-handed and was used to it, but Sep enjoyed thinking she was being considerate, too. Though it could always be that she just thought Sep was right-handed as most people were. Therefore, she stuck out her right hand. Septimus was left-handed, and so this means he would have to shake with his right, or... not take it? Yeah, that seemed like the best option at the moment, if you didn't count that it may cause him further injury. He shook his head, sighing. "What happened to you?" was all he said. At least, until he realized he should probably explain. "Earlier today, you thought I was going to kill you. Now you want to be allies? Mood swings, much?" Thinking he might get hurt for the last comment, he put his right hand to her's (though it felt awkward), and said, "But allies."

Clove glared at Septimus when he mentioned she might have mood swings. Maybe she did but that wasn’t really his problem. She was trying to find what she’d once had with her gang. To find equal souls, to find somebody willing to trust and be trusted. She wanted to hit Septimus over the head several times. No wonder he’d been alone on the streets. Only that was cruel to say. She knew why people tended to be very distrustful out on the streets. For really, had they met out on the streets, would her gang have spared him? Would he have been accepted or thrown away with most of the street rats? Each of the gang members was strong without a doubt and very sure of their case. Each one dared to face the odds and go against the usual things. To change to their very cores to fully live what life they had. Septimus always seemed to have kept a sweet side and a soft spot. Within her group, it wasn’t thinkable to show anything like that. They were not called the Career Killers by other people without a reason. They were as cold about the life of others as accountants, bankers, lawyers and doctors. They couldn’t afford to get close to their clients. They always viewed things with a clinical detachment that sometimes felt like it was going against their very nature.

Septimus, was he really different? He’d been alone and Clove herself had been a lot weaker on her own, although always strong in her convictions against her mother. Did she see a potential fighter in Septimus if he got people to lean on? If he had people like her gang? Would he turn into a cruel and heartless murderer? Clove knew very well that her gang didn’t behave according to the rules. She knew that they did plenty of things that didn’t bear the living daylight in times of peace and quiet but Clove was violent by nature. By parentage, desire and circumstance. If her mother had given her a warm and loving childhood, Clove might have ended up different. On the other hand, Clove was most grateful for meeting Meatcleaver, Johnnyboy, Glamour and Brawler. Most happy that they’d been a part of her life and if nothing bad happened to them while she was here, she wished that she could meet and join them again. Clove liked life on the streets and couldn’t really bear to part with it. She managed at camp but she always kept the urge to keep moving, to change locations and never settle down. She didn’t long to see the world, Clove knew that life was motion, forever moving on. If you didn’t keep up, life would eventually leave you behind and you wouldn’t catch up anymore. Ever.

Allies, so he’d accepted. Clove shook his hand and smiled. “Good.” She said coldly but she sat down beside him and smiled. “I’m aware of my so called mood swings. Let’s just say that I have my reasons to think you’re worthy of my attention without receiving a knife in your back. Apart from that, I know that the person who kills me won’t have a lot of time to live after that. It’s only a matter of time before my friends find them and they aren’t the forgiving types.” Clove said with a careless shrug. He’d lived on the streets, if he hadn’t heard of her gang, he surely would know that not everybody made it out alive. Her own words implied that her friends were one of the reasons people died on the streets and that was very much true. Such a pain they were to the cops. It made Clove smile a small but evil smile. Trademark of the little girl that was wanted since she’d thrown a knife into her accursed mother. The girl that was finally starting to find her way by doing something else. Killing monsters rather than monsters resembling monsters. Perhaps she could find a way to get her gang on that path with her. That they’d turn to a path of good and redeem while still having a lot of fun, as always. Maybe they’d been born for the sole purpose of cleaning the streets from monster. It was a much more pleasant thought that way. She turned to Septimus again. “So what’s next? We should get ourselves a hobby.” She said with a little laugh. Bonding time was approaching, weirdly enough.

Sep knew the mood swings comment wouldn't do him any good. However, Clove didn't hurt him at all. Well, not physically. The glare she shot him hurt him a bit mentally, because he was sure if looks could kill, he'd be dead. After being tortured for about a month. Still, he understood the glare. It may make him feel like a puppy who peed on the carpet, which is actually a pretty good simile. Sep kinda expected to be hit on the back of the head and be called a bad boy. Instead, though, Clove just kept that intense glare on him, while he shifted a bit in his seat. He understood that she probably didn't like getting called moody, even if it was true, but did she really have to give him what seemed like a never ending glare for it? ... At least it was better than hurting him physically. Right? Mental and physical pain were different, yes, but weren't they really the same? If anything, mental worse? So technically, Sep getting hit would be better than the glare... Well, this is a matter that can be saved for a later date.

The glare also made him feel something else. Kind of like he was being judged, assessed from every angle. Of course, he understood this too. Out in the city, threats needed to be uncovered, and dispatched. If he was a threat, though, all of this didn't add up. Either Clove wanted to see how useful Sep would be as an ally, or she was leading him into a trap, possibly one to get him dead. After all, Clove did have a reason to want him dead. Septimus could have no idea if she was still mad at him for knocking her out, and stealing her favorite knife. She probably was. Sep would certainly still be furious with him if he were put in Clove's position. Yet he couldn't help but wonder if she was still mad, or she was willing to move past it. They were two different people, after all, very different. What Sep thinks may not be what Clove is thinking, and vise versa. It was too bad, really. If he could look into Clove's mind, so many things would be easier. She would be easier to trust, he could actually believe her, and everything would be so much simpler. So much better.

Okay, so a knife in his back was out of the question. There were other ways to kill him, though, so he wasn't sure if she meant that he wouldn't be killed, or just that specific type. He could also tell that her gang was very dangerous-- no one who hurt them at all made it out alive. They had probably been a main reason of death out on the streets, and Sep was plain glad that he'd never ran into them. What that meant for him if he did? Most likely, as soon as they saw him, an arrow to his head, or a knife stuck in his abdomen, or a bullet in his heart. Yup, he was glad that they had never met before, even if he'd only seen them, and them not him.

What was next? A hobby? There weren't many hobbies available here at camp, everyone knew. The only useful hobbies there were were training and killing monsters. Nothing else would help with anything out in the real world, even if a demigod's life didn't exactly seem real. So Sep just shrugged, and replied with, "not much hobbies to choose from around here. For a summer camp, it's more boring than you'd think."