Because I'm Happy-ish? (OPEN)

[Deleted]

He let out a small laugh at her question. Use her powers for Chaos? Almost immediately she seemed to shift in her spot at his words and said... "What?" He cocked an eyebrow at her. What the hell was she talking about? There was no time for that. With a deep breath and a shake of his head, he tried to move off the subject. Instead he turned to focusing on trying to calm her down. Her next comment made him smile. Her eyes were up there. A small smirk crossed his face at her remark. "I think we both know by now that if I wanted to stare at your chest, I'd just stare at your chest. I wouldn't bother doing anything else." He chuckled lightly.

He waited patiently for only a moment, just to time his breathing with hers. Give her something to hold onto mentally, if she could focus enough at the moment to realize it. "I will admit..." He paused to let her lower her chin just for a moment before he pushed up again to help try and keep her airway clear. "You do have very nice brown eyes." He smiled softly at her, trying to show a moment of seriousness...or at least as serious as he could manage.

Finally though, he got back to the topic he had laughed at. The one she figured him to be insane for repeating. Attempting chaos again. "I want to help you to learn to bottle up 'flame' of disaster that you can produce." Bottling it up wasn't the best method, of course at someone point it would have been likely for the cork on said bottle to just fly off and release something that even Hades would fear. But it was definitely the easiest option, and the one he liked the most.

[Jessi Burke]

"And I would be smacking you, Voldie," Jessi snipped as she focused on her deep breaths and finding her inner calm... if she had something like that inside of her. "Because nobody should be staring at my chest unless they have a death wish. I've had fights break out over something much less." Jessi kept her eyes closed as she continued her deep breaths, making sure her entire chest rose and fell with each breath.

She noticed he timed his breathing with hers and she focused on that for a moment. Her emotions were weakening and she just felt tired. Exhausted even. He commented on her eyes and she raised her eyebrows at him before she cracked open an eye to look at him suspiciously. "Is Voldie trying to hit on me after all he did?" she chuckled before she closed her eyes again and continued her breathing.

Once she felt calm again, she opened her eyes to look at Voldie and cocked an eyebrow at him. "Bottle it up?" she asked him looking quite doubtful. "You want me to be a time bomb, don't you? Keep it all in until it's too much and I explode everywhere."

[Deleted]

He grinned at her as she threatened to smack him for such a thing. How dare he, right? She had had fights break out over something much less. Good idea to not comment on that. Not if he wanted her to calm down. No, getting someone killed at that moment would have been bad. Even if he had probably been the only person to wound anybody. His grin disappeared once she seemed to relax in tune with his breathing. She was doing good. When she popped open an eye and cast a strange look at him he slowed his breathing again, trying to bring hers down another pace.

"I still don't understand what you mean by 'Voldie'." He trailed his finger to the tip of her chin before he pulled his hand back and let her stare doubtfully at him. Annoyed, he turned back to look at the scraps of his burnt up shirt and sighed. It didn't matter. Not as much as this did. With another sigh, he turned back to face her and stared into those brown eyes again. "No." He nearly growled for some effect. "After you've bottled it up and kept it from exploding on everyone around you, I want you to 'hand off the bottle' to someone else."

"It may be stupid...but talk about it with somebody, 'Paradox.' Then you won't have to be a time bomb." He gave her one last big exhale before turning away to walk back and pick up the brown scraps of his shirt. As he made his way back over to her and to pass he he let another smile cross his face before he looked at her again and winked. "I still don't have a clue what this party was for."

[Jessi Burke]

"Have you never read a book or at least keep track of pop culture?" Jessi rolled her eyes as she tightened her arms across her chest more. "Maybe you should do that instead of picking up poor innocent girls like me for your evil plan of world domination or whatever." She raised an eyebrow at him with a skeptical look on her face. "Hand the bottle off to someone else? You mean someone else cause what I just did?" She rolled her eyes as she sighed. "It doesn't seem to fix the problem at hand at all. What good are you anyway?"

"Talk about it?" She laughed as she shook her head. "I try, but nobody stays there. Nobody. And I don't know how well you'll do since you'll probably go off and die on me or something. But if you want to try, go ahead and surprise me." She rolled her eyes before she chuckled, "I told you. Chiron let them have a party. He really doesn't need a reason since it doesn't happen that often." She sighed as she looked at the beach resume normalcy before she turned back for the cabins. "I think I'm done for the day," she muttered as she started walking.

[Deleted]

The first question was rather easy to ignore. He had read many books, but that didn't help him understand what she meant by 'Voldie', for all he knew, it could have just been some word he had not heard or read yet. It didn't matter. The comment on his evil plan for world domination made him laugh. That was definitely amusing. "You are really fixed on the idea that I am a bad guy." Perhaps it was time for a bit of fun. A sly grin spread across his face as he took a step closer to her. "Besides that...what makes you so sure that the sons of Hephaestus don't already rule the world? There is a lot of technology in this world" He smiled playfully at her.

She really didn't trust anyone. Every time he tried to help her, she tried to push him away. On a turn of some kind of luck, he refused to back away though. Whether it was bad luck or good luck had yet to be determined. With a deep breath, he cocked his head to the side and stared at her. "If you can think of a better fix that might work, or you haven't already tried then go right ahead." He snapped back lightly. He didn't want to push her away, but he did want to give her a push. "And...I never said you had to hand it off to some random stranger. You have to have people you trust right?"

Still it seemed to continue. Just on and on until she chose to walk off and he exhaled slowly. He let his brows knit together and he exhaled loudly. "I'm still here, aren't I?" He called out after her and took a step after her. Only a step. "You are the one walking away." He was still a stranger though. "Start off small." He told her. "I know I'm a jackass but you need to get something out, anything. Even I can see that." He lifted his arms up, as if he was ready to be hit by a wrecking ball. "You don't have to tell me what you don't want to, but you have to say something."

[Jessi Burke]

"Ah," Jessi said as she raised both of her eyebrows at the boy. "I'm dealing with an evil Hephaestus boy. Clearly his plans for world domination is working since everyone is either addicted to their computers or TVs." She rolled her eyes as she wrapped her arms a little a tighter as she shivered a bit from the wind. She pressed her lips together as she turned around. "Did have people to trust... I did..." She sighed as she started walking off.

However, she didn't get that far before he called out to her. She paused in her tracks as she turned around to look at him and raise an eyebrow at him. She watched him with emotionless eyes before she said calmly, "If I'm going to tell you anything about what's happening to me, it needs to be in private. Nobody here needs to know. We can go back to my cabin or whatever if you really want to know."

[Deleted]

"Precisely." He grinned playfully at her. If one were paranoid enough, they might have been able to believe it. Who knew...perhaps Jaime could have ended up using the world around him to help with his own ambitions. There was certainly enough technology in the world. Perhaps he could have managed. His eyes focused in again when she tightened up and shivered. For a moment, the son of Hephaestus thought he might have made her lock up again, until he had seen her shiver. Did have people she could trust...? He frowned slightly and scanned the large crowd around them that seemed to have calmed somewhat. "In that case, it would seem that you and I are far more alike than either of us had originally thought..." He mumbled quietly as his eyes traveled over a number of unconscious beings.

Once she stopped though, his eyes turned back to lock with hers. His brow knit together slightly and he breathed out slowly, his own face as blank as could be. When she spoke up, he kept that face the same until she finished. After she finished, he softened his gaze and gestured outward with a hand. "Lead the way...Actually..." He lifted the same hand and extended one finger, telling her 'just a moment.' as he turned away and looked over the numerous people still trying to figure out what was happening.

The son of Hephaestus stepped slightly into the crowd, weaving between people until he got to the one he wanted. Some man who had been knocked into another state by an Ares kid. Jaime couldn't care less. With an annoyed sigh, he put a foot on the sleeping mans waist and rolled him onto his side. He quickly bent over and pulled the jacket the man was wearing off one side before repeating the same movement to the other side of his body and removing the mans coat from his unconscious form. Again, he weaved through the crowd silently until he found his way back to her. "It's for a good cause." He stated simply and opened up the jacket for her.

[Jessi Burke]

Jessi had a pang in her stomach telling her that this was all wrong and she was about to get herself messed up in the wrong crowd. For once, she didn't listen to it. She was tired of being alone and being scared of her powers. Maybe this Voldie boy could help her more than she thought.

She was about to turn around and lead the way before he gave her the "one moment" sign and went back into the crowds. She scrunched her eyebrows a bit as she wondered what in Hades he was doing before he returned with a jacket. Her expression softened as she gave him a slight smirk before she turned around to put on the jacket as he held it up for her. "Thanks," she muttered as she adjusted it on her shoulders and zipped it up, thankful for the protection against the wind. She glanced over at him before she nodded her head towards the cabins before she lead the way.

It wasn't long before they reached her only cabin and she opened the door for him to go inside. She waited for him to walk in as her eyes surveyed her cabin. One bed. One dresser. One desk. Jessi never really decorated since she came to camp. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her as she wrapped her arms around herself once more as she looked at Voldie. "I'm not going to beat around the bush," she said as she looked at him solemnly. "My parents were murdered and my boyfriend who I thought I loved dumped me and left because I lost control of my powers. I don't have anyone now. Not even siblings." She pointed around her cabin to emphasis her point.

[Deleted]

Moving through the vast group of confused people was rather easy for him. Especially as many of them were keeled over or on their knees in pain. It was getting the jacket that was rather annoying. The man who had been wearing it wasn't exactly light. Halfway through taking the jacket off of him, Jaime was tempted to just set the mans feet ablaze so he would wake up and so Jaime could just force him to give him the jacket. He decided against it though when he thought about how that would have messed with the situation. Instead he kept to the way he had started and simply heaved the big man around until he got it off him.

"You're welcome." He replied as soon as she zipped up the jacket and watched as she turned to nod at him. He returned the small gesture with a smile before waving his hand for her to lead the way again. His eyes scanned the building around them as the door swung shut behind him. It was rather empty. She seemed to be the only person in the cabin, and had probably been that way for a good while. Quietly, he turned to face her and sat down on the bed. "Alright." He stated as she told him about some bush then dropped that on him.

"I already don't like your ex." He stated firmly and glanced around them again. The barren cabin was a sight to see. "Do you know who or what murdered your parents?" His voice softened to nearly a whisper as he spoke. He wanted to get the point across that he wasn't taking the topic lightly. He raised his eyebrows slightly and tried to keep his face blank, with the exception of the frown that tugged at the corner of his lips. He could guess where she was coming from, especially after his mothers death.

[Jessi Burke]

Jessi let out a grunted agreement about the statement about her ex as she crossed her arms across her chest once more. She took a shaky breath as she decided to look down at her feet as she waited for Voldie to say something more. She couldn't watch him sitting on her bed, especially since that bed reminded her of so many memories of her and Kurtis. But Voldie finally asked about her parents murder. She took a deep breath while scrunching up her face before she looked up at him in his eyes.

"All I know that harpies came and attacked them when they smelled me..." She took a shaky breath as she tightened her arms around her chest more. "They wanted to kill me... my parents just got in the way..." Her gaze dropped back down to her feet as she waited for Voldie to process what she just told him. "I just want to find those harpies one day and kill them for killing my parents... They started all of..." she looked up to gesture to all around her. "This. They started all of this for me."

[Deleted]

Jaime gave her a soft smile when she grunted at him and he watched as she crossed her arms over her chest again. She was feeling something at the moment, but he couldn't quite get the idea. Annoyance? Or awkward? That one seemed likely. They were in her cabin alone, and even if he had gotten her a jacket, she still had the bikini on. Just the bikini. He didn't say more. Not on the subject of her ex. He didn't want that moment to stay into the conversation for longer than need be, but he would sit there and listen while she had to rant about it. The twitch in her face made him cock his head to the side, searching for her eyes before she moved onto the subject of her parents.

Harpies?

The word echoed in his head silently. It was a monster that had killed her parents, not a person. That was helpful. Sort of. His eyes honed in on her arms as she hugged herself more. He looked back up at her eyes and frowned slightly. With a small push off his heel, he moved to his feet and walked over to her. "Stop." He ordered, and placed his hands on her upper arms. With a roll of his thumbs, he very lightly pressed into a good portion of the muscle on her arms to try and get her loosen up, even if it was just a bit. His eyes followed his hands as he moved until he stopped lightly pressing into her arm.

"Do you remember if you saw anything unique about those harpies? Scars, an extra claw, weird eyes?" He tilted his head to the side again, searching for her eyes and another answer.

[Jessi Burke]

After Jessi went on her little rant about how the harpies ruined her life, she wrapped her arms around her chest as she waited for Voldie to say something. She looked down at her feet as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes a bit. She completely missed him getting off her bed and walking towards her until he was in front of her with his hands on her upper arms. She opened her eyes and looked up at him as she felt her arms relax even though she didn't want to at that moment.

She took a deep breath as he asked about the harpies while she tried to go through her memories she tried to suppress for all these months. "I think one had an extra toe on its foot," she said as she looked him in the eyes. She couldn't help but notice that his lips looked nice, but that wasn't important at the moment. "I think one had an extra toe and the other was missing one. That's all I can tell you. I was pushed into a closet before they attacked and I remember seeing their feet through the crack at the bottom."

[Deleted]

He could practically see tension easing it's way out of her as he placed his hands on her arms. She was wound up. Really wound up. Solutions flooded into the smith's mind as she breathed inwards. His darted to her shoulders at the small movement and then moved back up to her eyes, only to find them not staring back. At least not back into his own gaze. Instead the brunette was looking at his lips. His mouth twitched upwards at the sight. His mind stayed unnaturally clear over this even as he listened to her speak. "Toes...got it." The sentence came out far less articulate than his thoughts had first made them.

Jaime's looked around the room after she finished speaking. Another delicious idea formed in his mind as he found what he was looking for. Silently, he tightened his grip on her arms and swung her around pushing her to anything nearby that might have resembled a closet. Not wanting to take it too far in case he might scare her, he just placed her up against a nearby door and pinned her arms at her side. Again his mouth twitched upwards as he looked down at her lips and then back up at her eyes.

"Like this?" He slowly moved his hands down past her elbows, his grip loosened, but he never took them away.

[Jessi Burke]

Jessi didn't know how Voldie was going to use that little tidbit of information about the harpies' toes. Did he honestly think he was going to every harpy possible and inspect their feet? She knew campers around here stayed away from the harpies, so she didn't know what Voldie was even going to try. His hands on her arms forced her relax even more that her arms unfolded from her chest and dropped down to her sides.

But then something unexpected happened. Her eyes widened as he swung her around and her back rested against the closest door. Her heart jumped up into her throat as she noticed how close he was and how his eyes glanced down to her lips. She returned the favor before she breathlessly muttered, "Yeah... I do..."

[Deleted]

If truth were to ever be told, even Jaime wasn't sure exactly how he would have used that to get the harpies for her. It didn't mean he wouldn't try. The possibilities that were bared to him if he succeeded in finding her vengeance were...well, great was an understatement. Finding the harpies was something that had to be done. The twitches that had previously pointed upwards before formed an actual smile when her arms dropped to her sides. The simple movement made his previously clear mind scan every possible conclusion in search of answers, to any question he might have had. Then again...there were easier ways to get answers. With her back against the door, he attempted to refresh her memory and perhaps give him a little more interest when under her gaze.

The attempt worked better than he had planned, especially when he saw the result of his poor sentence phrasing. He watched as her eyes darted down to his lips and he let them part ever so slightly. A small puff of air broke through the tiny gap and his lips widened at her words. His search for answers was set to a stop as he focused on her and her alone. Her breathing, her warmth, her hair, her gaze. Anything. His hands slid further down her arms as he memorized the texture of her skin and how soft it was, only to stop at her wrists.

He slowly pushed her wrists up and in, with every inch that her hands moved, he moved too until he was pressed up against her and her hands were comfortably pinned above her head. It wouldn't have taken much to break free of his grasp, barely anything actually but that was just added effects. It was the breathing that Jaime was truly proud of. With some difficulty, he timed his breaths with hers. If she exhaled, he inhaled and the same for the reverse. When he chose to move in for a kiss, he actually wanted to leave the illusion that he took her breath away. Jaime suppressed the urge to smirk and leaned in closer, with his chin he pushed on the collar of the jacket until it reached the edge of one of her shoulders. With a turn of his head, he whispered into her ear, almost like some kind of little angel on her shoulder. "And this?"