Creeping out of the shadows. (Cori)

creeping out of the shadows

So...the vampire did know how to creep out of the shadows, and out into the light of the sun.

That was probably your first impression at seeing Aimery Girard taking a leisurely walk on the beach.  Aimery was a quiet person who was definitely not outgoing.  If he wasn't tending to his jewelry store, then he spent most of his time back at the House of Hades, which was more like the Castle of Hades.  He was never bored at home, not with so many rooms to roam around in, each containing different things to occupy him.  Oh, and not to mention the grounds, the vast grounds with a pool, a pond with an island gazebo, and a garden with a fountain.  And besides, the most he was ever worried about in life was his wealth.  He probably would end up being a grouchy old hunchback counting his coins or looking over his finances, so one didn't have to worry about his boredom.

However, today was a weekend and he didn't open his store on weekends.  That was the beauty of being so successful.  He had plenty of money to go by that he didn't need to open all of that time to run business.  He could close and take breaks when it was appropriate to do so.  Of course, he had to operate on regular days if he didn't want to get a bad reputation...but suffice to say he was far from desperate.

And on this particular day, Aimery had a sudden whim to get fresh air...and this time, not in the confines of the Hades estate.  Sure, the whole place was a sight to behold, but considering that he was a longtime resident, it was nothing really special to him besides giving him a sense of pride that he had what many others didn't.  He thought that the beach would be a nice place to relax for a while.  It had been a long time since he had stepped foot on the sand and got a glimpse of the lapping waves of the sea.

So there he was, walking along the sand, a few feet away from the water.  Aimery had scrolled up the ends of his (brand name) jeans to his ankle so they wouldn't touch the sand.  He was wearing a white button down shirt with a collar with the sleeves rolled to his forearm.  He wore a wristwatch made of gold around his wrist, and on his finger, the magnificent ring gifted to him by Hades.  As for his shoes...he was barefoot and wasn't holding onto them, but no matter, he left them in a crevice of a big rock at the entrance to the beach where he was sure that nobody would see them, especially because a bunch of weed and tall grass was covering it.  Well, clever him for finding that crevice, but then again he had known about it some years ago already.  It was his own little secret, and a quirk of his to put his shoes in there every time he paid the beach a visit.        

Tag: @coriander

TEMPLATE BY ELIZA @ BOTE

Cori didn't go to the beach often because she didn't swim. Why? Because it took a lot of concentration to make sure that the water didn't freeze on her skin. This is why she took extra hot showers, and not long ones. It was a shame that she never really got to experience the fun of swimming, but she didn't really know the difference. She liked the beach though, and the sand. It was one of the few places where she wouldn't wear her gloves or long sleeve clothes. No, today she was wearing a quarter sleeved shirt and knee length shorts, ready for a day outside.

She wasn't the biggest fan of the sun, truthfully, she preferred the cold. But, there was nothing wrong with using a day off to relax and apparently the beach was supposed to be a relaxing place. As she walked along the sand, she held her shoes in her hand. Something about the sand between your toes cliche was actually working. Whoever thought of that was certainly onto something.

There were a lot of people around, and she didn't know many of them. Cori didn't approach people first, actually, so there wasn't much talking to be done unless someone brought it up to her. However, sometimes she was in the mood to introduce herself, just not at this present moment. She stopped for a moment, lifting her arms to her sides and up toward the sun, closing her eyes to feel the warmth.

creeping out of the shadows

And he kept on walking, ignoring people as usual.  People didn't mean a whole lot to him, especially people who he barely knew.  And the good thing was, they ignored him too.  After all, what was there to see? Okay, so he didn't look all that bad.  Maybe some girls looked, or just curious people, but seeing as he acted as if they didn't exist, they went on with their own business.  Although, some of them could have seen him at his shop, but what were the odds that they bought jewelry often? Jewelry was more of a special occasion thing, especially because it was expensive...and Aimery was definitely not lowering his prices!

Pessimistic Aimery wasn't pessimistic for long, though, when he came across a girl in front of him.  He was standing some feet away directly from her, and he normally would've just walked around her and continued on his little aimless stroll.  However, once he saw her, he stopped walking and watched, interested.  Well, he didn't look interested; he simply kept his expression devoid of sangfroid as he stared at the girl.

There was...something about her that intrigued him.  Of course, she could just be as social and girly as any other female demigod who roamed the island.  However, her looks were appealing.  Actually, she was very beautiful, beautiful in a way he hadn't seen before, but had now caught his full admiration.  She was closing her eyes, but even with closed eyes, he could tell that her face was impeccably flawless.  Nothing was out of proportion...if there was one thing you knew about Aimery, he was jaundiced, but he also had a critical eye for beauty, too.  He appreciated imperfect-looking things...and people. 

And there he was, staring at her expressionlessly like some kind of a creep.  But really, inside he was awestruck by her beauty.  Who would've known that Aimery was capable of that.  But, come on...was he looking at a daughter of Aphrodite or what?          

Tag: @coriander

TEMPLATE BY ELIZA @ BOTE

As Cori opened her eyes she breathed deeply, turning away from the water. That was whens he saw him, someone staring at her like a statue. "Um, hello?" she said, a little annoyed. She walked up to the guy and cocked her eyebrows at him, folding her arms across her chest. "Can I help you?" she knew he was Greek, for she did in fact recognize him from camp. But they had never spoken before.

She wasn't used to people staring at her like... that. Normally they stared in fear because of her ice powers. She had to admit, she kind of liked being looked at in a positive light-but she also didn't like the idea of being stared at at all, especially by someone she had never spoken to before. She wouldn't act freaked out, however, she was far too stuck up and proud for that. No, she would just keep acting like the tough guy.

creeping out of the shadows

Anyone in their right mind would feel weird with Aimery staring at them like this.  It was strange, wasn't it? Although Aimery thought that it should be normal to be thoughtful and introverted--and, kind of icy in demeanor at that, he also understand that people were more expressive.  He dealt with people in his life enough to know that, after all, whether he liked it or not.   

Therefore, it was totally understandable that, when the girl noticed him, she had walked up to him, regarding him with both askance and irritation.  That was when he snapped out of his weird trance.  Oh bloody hell, how rude of him.  Even if he thought it was okay for himself to behave like that, he was also normal enough to recognize that it was rude, too.  How would he feel if someone kept on staring at him like that with nonchalance? Irked, no doubt.

He heaved an internal sigh.  Blast it, he just got himself into an awkward situation.  It was time to deal with it.  When did he ever go about seeking his own troubles? He minded his own business; why couldn't he have done that? Was he so blinded by beauty that he became dumb and blundered? Being a person who was so used to conducting himself perfectly and professionally, he did not appreciate what he just did to himself.

But, Aimery was never one for showing his vulnerabilities and weaknesses.  Actually, he rarely showed any emotion at all and kept that air of sangfroid around him.  "Oh, I apologize.  I..." He was startled to find that he couldn't find a good, regular explanation as to why he was staring at her.  Was he going to straight out say that he was captivated by how pretty she looked? No, that was too awkward and strange.  He thought fast.  The only thing he could think about was how she lifted her arms up to the warmth of the sunlight.  He cleared his throat.  "I thought you looked like you were absorbing sunlight.  I was wondering if you were a daughter of Apollo, and if it's the usual thing for children of the sun god to do to strengthen themselves." 

Uh, well, that was the best he could think of, really.  Did it sound ridiculous? Kind of, to him.  But what else was he supposed to say? He couldn't be honest.  He could've gone full out arrogant and growled that she was in the way, but then he wasn't a thug and that didn't explain why he had been staring at her until he caught her attention, and not entirely on purpose.         

Tag: @coriander

TEMPLATE BY ELIZA @ BOTE

While the guy was fumbling out an answer, Cori couldn't help but survey him a little. He was handsome, sure, and he had a mysterious aura about him. But Cori wasn't sure if he was flirting material just yet. No, she'd have to wait it out for a moment here.

Her eyebrows raised as his reason for studying her came out. She didn't say anything for a moment until she started bursting into fits of laughter. A child of Apollo!? Oh he could not be more wrong. No, he was definitely completely off. Granted, she sort of was absorbing sunlight...

She stopped laughing and straightened out, "not a daughter of Apollo actually," then she did a little trick she had taught herself. She lifted her hands to her lips and blew in them gently. When she pulled her hands down, an I've sculpture of a rose was nestled there. She took a step or two closer to him in order to show it. "Quite the opposite, actually." She looked up at him to gage good reaction.

@aimery

((To say the least...this is very late!))

Whether or not she was a daughter of Apollo, Aimery had totally not been expecting a burst of laughter from his guess.  He might be wrong, but usually people would casually contradict him and state who their parent was.  His eyes widened slightly, and maybe he would've been a little irritated, but instead he looked at her, intrigued, wondering what explanation she was going to give for laughing the way she did.

Okay, so she was the "opposite" of a child of Apollo.  Opposite of the sun god.  No wonder why she had found the hilarity in his guess of Apollo. That probably meant her parent was the god or goddess of some weather condition that was cold and chilly, because everyone knew that the sun radiated heat and warmth.  "Khione? Or Aeolus?" Khione was the goddess of snow, and snow was cold, and Aeolus was the god of the winds, and that also bespoke of chilliness, although it wasn't to the extreme as snow was.  "Either way, I'm Aimery Girard...son of Hades."  He extended his hand for her to shake.   

"First guess what right," she stated, her blue eyes staring into his. "And I don't shake hands," she stated, looking down at his outstretched offer for a handshake. She didn't mean to sound rude, but she often came across that way when she told people that she didn't want to touch them. Eh, it was what she had to deal with. It came with the territory of being ice cold and wanting to protect all the poor peoples little fingers.

Granted, wasn't it cold in hell?

"Do you approach strangers often? I always thought Hades kids to be pretty shy," she said with a bit of a wicked grin.

@aimery

"Oh, Khione.  Alright."  He gave a nod of his head in acknowledgment of her parentage, feeling rather awkward.  He wasn't really one to initiate small talk or idle conversation, but for some reason he had just did it to his particular girl.  He wasn't used to it, though.

He blinked, a little taken aback by her brusque refusal to shake hands.  Shaking hands was what almost every living being on Concordia was eager to do when they met him and he took it for granted that someone might not be as eager.  Perhaps she just didn't like being touched, even if it was just her hand.  "Um...okay."  He put his hand back down at his side.

Aimery had assumed that she was a bit reserved and maybe a bit irritable, but she continued to surprise him with that smile on her face.  Her reactions changed rapidly, in his opinion.  Aside from her beauty, she was an...abstract kind of girl.  Not the predictably calm type like Mel.

He wondered how he could best answer her question without sounding strange.  Truth be told he had just been staring at her, but that in itself was like approaching her, in a way.  "I...only if they're interesting, I guess."  He summoned up a slight smirk.  He didn't want to sound like a stammering, shy fool, so he just went with a bit of a cryptic truth, or partial truth.

"So, if I may ask, what's your name?" He had introduced himself, so he thought it fitting that he should know her name in turn if she was willing to. 

Accalia knew the kind of reaction people gave when she told them that she didn't shake hands. They always thought something was wrong with them when it was quite on the contrary. Still, she didn't bother to correct them. If they thought that then it was perfectly fine with her. That way they wouldn't try to touch her again, right? So, it had worked out for years, why not now?

She smiled as he said only the interesting ones were shy. She rather disagreed with that approach, but she decided not to comment on it, instead focusing on his asking her name. "Coriander Pepsi, Tribune Sergeant for the Pheonix Brigade, at your service," she gave a cheeky little bow before standing up straight again.

"And you, son of Hades?" she asked, stepping out of he water now

Aimery didn't like how unsure of himself he felt right now.  He was usually suave..in his quiet way, but now, he felt uneasy with himself.  He was stepping into unmarked territory of which he'd never tread on before, after all, and it was all caused by him.

He smiled, actually amused but more out of surprise, when she gave her bow.  But otherwise, he registered the fact that she was part of the Garrison.  And her name was what he heard it to be Coriander Pepsi.  The first name wasn't one he heard used before on a girl but her last name was something else.  Pepsi? A soda? He wondered if she was joking, but was too polite to even try to question that.  "Oh...well, as you're part of the Garrison, Coriander, do you happen to know my sister, Melanie Thorn?" he asked.  She was quite a well-known agent.  He generally didn't like that she worked so hard for the Garrison, but now he was using that fact to relate more to Coriander.

She then asked him what he did.  "I run a jewelry store in the mall, called the Treasures of Styx."  Without thinking twice, he heard himself asking, "Do you like jewelry?"  

"I know of Captain Thorn, yes. But we don't work together often," she admitted. Cori was quite pleased with her little Phoenix band of misfits that she was in charge of. There were almost like a family to her, except that she didn't really like to give people her heart, even in that way. Still, her team knew how much she loved them whether she outwardly showed it or not.

"Uh," Cori raised an eyebrow at him, "I was actually trying to get a name out of you. But that's a good job, I guess. I'm not a big jewelery person," and she really wasn't. Plus, if she wanted jewelery she could make it herself, couldn't she? Temporary ice jewelery that glittered just as well as diamonds did.

Aimery was a little confused.  He was aware that he had introduced himself a little earlier when attempting to shake her hand, but he understood if she forgot.  She hadn't really seemed like she was focusing much, what with her mind on rejecting the handshake.  A lot of thoughts and feelings must've been running inside her.  He decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.  Normally he wouldn't, but it was established that this moment was different.  "I apologize," he said quickly.  "I'm Aimery Girard." 

He simply nodded when she said she wasn't into jewelry.  It wasn't like he adorned himself in sparkling gems, too.  They looked nice to look at and were valuable.  Selling them was good business.  That was all he really cared about where jewelry was concerned.  Although, having stared at jewelery for so long, he was already trying to imagine what piece would look nice on her.  "So, how long have you been on Concordia?" he asked.  "Were you formally from either one of the original camps?" The typical stories of he Concordians were predictable, but he was actually interested to learn about hers. 

"Oh! You already said that. My bad," Cori shook it off, clearly absent minded at the moment. She was stepping fully out of the water by this point. The water droplets started to freeze on her legs and she groaned. This always happened, hence why she usually avoided the waves. As he asked about her time on Concordia, Cori sat down in the sand. She straightened her legs and started to bury them in the warm sand, knowing that would melt away the water before it got too annoying.

She looked up at him, "I was at Camp Half-Blood. I was there for about four years before the attack... were you there too?" she asked. Honestly, Cori really kept to herself back at camp. She didn't really make an effort to really make friends until she came to Concordia, and even then she struggled.

Aimery stared at her feet.  As she walked out of the water, the water that still clung to her feet froze into ice.  There was ice attached to her skin, and it was certainly not a sight he was used to seeing.  Oh well, it was going to melt very quickly because of the heat of the island.  He watched as she sat down on the sand, and he pondered upon whether he ought to sit down too, so he could be on the same level with her as they talked.  It looked a bit awkward with her craning her head up to look at him and him staring down at her.  So, slowly, cautiously, he sat down on the sand beside her, crossing his legs. 

She was there four years at Camp Half-Blood before the attack.  Good gods, he had been there at the time she had been, too! How could he not have seen her before? But then, there were many demigods there.  It would understandable if he had missed her presence.  He hadn't exactly been the most outgoing camper, either.  And he had only been at the camp for his first year before it was attacked.  He probably didn't have the time to get acquainted to everyone.

"I was, yes," he said.  "But I had only just arrived at age twelve for a while before the attack happened.  I didn't get to know it, much."  He began to think about Mel and Alex.  They were really helpful, getting him acquainted to this new demigod life of his.  He still had Mel, but Alex... "I lost my brother in the attack."  He glanced at Cori.  "Did you have any siblings at the camp? I can't say I've seen many children of Khione around during my stay there."