Alone | open

[Harper Jones]

He'd called off the wedding and broken up with her. Harper was still distraught over it, but it was a long time coming. They argued when she first wanted to come back to camp and live in the cabins and once she was finally settling in, those arguments only got worse. The only thing he raised to her was his voice, but Harper knew that she probably wasn't going to have the dream wedding she was planning. It all came to a peak the night before where he called off the wedding and broke up with her. And then he left her without looking back.

And now Harper was left with an engagement ring she couldn't and didn't want to wear. She already cried enough that she was emotionally numb as she sat at the edge of her bed and looked down at the flower-shaped ring. She could still remember the day he proposed. It was so clear in her head, but now it was muddled up with the breakup. She was supposed to be happy. This move was supposed to make her happy after all the things that happened to her. But now, those were only lies. Tears welled up in Harper's eyes once more as she gripped the ring in her hand before she chucked it across the cabin room. It made a satisfying thud on the wall before it slipped behind a piece of furniture. And Harper had no intention of retrieving it. She didn't want piece of jewelry that held a strong memory anyway.

[Leon Orcot]

Leon was on his way to deliver one of the projects that had been requested by a camper in the Demeter Cabin. As with all his deliveries he left it on the porch with a note attached for the owner. Pausing for a moment, he noticed someone sitting inside the cabin. She seemed to be looking at something in her hand, and upon a small tap of his powers he could feel it was a ring of some kind. He saw her eyes water for a moment before she threw the small thing across the cabin, where it hit the wall and fell behind a bunk. He let out a low whistle before he knocked on the door frame. "Hey there, you okay? I saw your ring toss, the form wasn't bad, but there are better ways of getting rid of bad memories."

He leaned up against the door frame and crossed his scarred arms over his chest. He wasn't the best at comforting someone, but he could tell the woman in front of him was hurting. "Look, I don't know what you're going through, but I might have a better way to get rid of that ring then just tossing it, if you're interested." He gave a shrug. "Do you mind if I come in? I don't think you want everyone to know your business."

[Harper Jones]

Harper froze. She didn't realize that the door to her cabin was open and that her little fit was on display to the rest of the camp. She pressed her lips together as she hesitantly turned her head to look at the door to see who was her witness. It was some guy she thought she saw hanging around the Hephaestus cabin and now he witnessed her little fit. She looked him over once before she looked down at her hands. "It was the fastest way to get rid of one, though," she muttered before she shrugged her shoulders. She knew her promise ring from Cody was somewhere among the furniture along with the various pieces of jewelry he had given her.

She looked up at the guy as she noticed he hadn't left so she shrugged her shoulders. "I guess so," she said when he asked to come in. "Just make sure the shut the door. The camp practically knows about everything about me. They don't need to know about this too... at least not yet."

[Leon Orcot]

Leon nodded his head, he knew what it was like to have bad memories that plagued you. Just looking down at his arms could attest to that. "It may have been the fastest, but it won't keep them gone. Trust me, you need to talk it out, or face your demons. I would know." He absentmindedly ran his hands over his arms and face. Shaking his head, he walked inside and closed the door behind him. He sat down on a bed across from her and put his arms on his legs, looking her in the eye. "My name is Leon, I'm sure you guessed, but I'm from the Hephaestus cabin. I don't know what the rest of the camp knows, and I don't care what they think. However, I think I can help you at least a little bit in dealing with this."

With a flick of his hand, he pushed out his powers and he felt the ring and pulled it to him, also noticing all the other jewelry that was scattered around. It landed in his hand with a soft plop. "Are all the various trinkets I can feel around here yours too? Because if they are, they are going to be dealt with at the same time, and you'll probably feel better once we're done." He looked over the ring in his hand, it was a silver band, shaped as a flower, with an engraving that read, "With all my Heart - Xenos." All in all, it was quite a nice ring. He felt several other signatures, most made of silver, a few gems, and something made of pearls.

[Harper Jones]

As the boy walked in, Harper looked down at her hands again as she took a couple of deep breaths. She wasn't really expecting anyone to come in during this little fit of hers, but now it looked like she had to face her so-called demons. She looked up from her hands as the boy sat down on a bed right across from hers. "Well, Leon," she said with a sad sigh as she shook her head. "I'm one of those people the camp can't get enough gossip on. I'm Harper. Ask anyone around camp and they'll tell you everything about me since I guess you didn't come here to hear the hot gossip firsthand." She sighed again as she reached out to push her hair out of her face. She was so good at running away from everything, but she guessed that she had to face everything eventually even if that eventually was now.

She pressed her lips together as she looked at him as he toyed with the ring she had chucked earlier. She took a deep, shaky breath as she looked at Leon. "They're all mine, unless my siblings have been dating behind my back." She tore her eyes away from Leon as she looked down at her hands as she felt the tears prickle in her eyes. That stupid ring and that stupid promise he'd made to her.

[Leon Orcot]

Leon listened to the young woman, Harper, as she sighed and spoke of how she was the camps hot gossip right now. He gave a shrug and said, "I've never been one to really care for gossip, especially about a beautiful young woman. I prefer hearing about it if the person in question wants to tell me about it. Even though the circumstances are bad, it is nice to meet you Harper." He gently took her hand in his after she had brushed her hair out of her face and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it with his scarred lips. He was always doing this, he couldn't help being this way. He was a southern gentleman.

So it was hers, that made what he was thinking of doing a little easier, as he had more materials to work with. He summoned all of the items that he could feel into his hands. Looking over what he had found, he saw that he had two different necklaces, one was relatively simple silver with a star garnet set in the metal, the other was also silver with an ocean glass heart set inside more metal. He also had a pearl bracelet and another silver ring. Nodding a little to himself he looked up at Harper as she looked down and he saw the tears in her eyes. Deciding to be a little bolder then he normally would, he gently brushed his hand against her face, wiping away the tears, "Hey now, none of that. Don't think of the bad things, dwelling on the past only leads to more hurt. If you're too busy looking back, you can't see what's right in front of you. Besides, it's not in my nature to let pretty girls cry in front of me." He pulled his hand away. Deciding his plan would probably work, he stood up and offered her his hand. "Come with me, if nothing else, I can promise this won't hurt anymore then you are feeling now. It might even make you feel better."

[Harper Jones]

He didn't want to hear about the rumors that were circulating about her, which was a relief for once. She didn't know if the rumors that were spreading around currently were true or not, but he was not interested in them. For once, she didn't have to fight to keep up appearances or to save face, which was an entirely big relief to her. She pressed her lips together and blushed slightly as he kissed her hand. When was the last time someone had kissed her hand, let alone touch her like he was doing right now?

She looked up at him as she blinked away a couple of tears just as he wiped away a few. She barely knew this Leon person, but he was so nice to her especially since everyone wanted to kick her while she was down. And the fact that he probably had a solution to her current problem which was her jewelry collection in his hand? "It'll make me feel better?" she asked hesitantly as she glanced at his hand and back up at him. She took a deep breath before she nodded her head. "Okay," she said as she took his hand and helped herself up.

[Leon Orcot]

Leon smiled his best smile at her as she stood up with his help. He was glad she was going to let him help her. He kept holding her hand as he gently pulled her out of her cabin and down in the direction of the Hephaestus Cabin. "I figure it would be best to head to my cabin for this. Trust me, the big forge is used more then the private Heph forge. Less chance of running into people there. Can't have everyone know I'm a big softy. I have a reputation to uphold." Leon gave her a small wink as they approached the large vault like door that lead into his cabin. Turning the handle he ushered her inside before he followed after her. "One sec though, I need to get out of this coat and shirt. It's a little too hot in there for this big thing."

He walked over to his bunk and took of his jacket, hanging it beside his table, before he slowly pulled off his shirt. This showed off his tanned and scarred back to Harper. He placed it in a hamper beside his bed, and grabbed his wrench/warhammer combo tool before turning around to face Harper. His chest and arms showed signs of numerous scars, all from his time captured by the enemy in Iraq. Giving her another smile, he said, "Alright, lets get to the fun part Harper." Giving her a wink, he started to walk into the forge in the back of the cabin.

[Harper Jones]

Harper was a bit nervous to be honest. The last guy that ended up helping her when she was down and weak happened to be the one she ran away with and got engaged to.. and she was going to do something with that engagement ring that he had given to her. She had a gut feeling what Leon had in mind, but she wasn't going to assume until she got there. Or until he said so in this case. She followed him to the cabin as she giggled and blushed a bit. Did he really just wink at her? When was the last time that had happened to her? "Don't worry," she said with a sight smile. "I think your reputation is safe with me."

But she walked inside the cabin only to have him go shirtless. She adverted her eyes for a moment out of respect, but couldn't help but sneak a peak at him and damn, Leon was built. She licked her lips slightly before biting the outer corner before she looked at him. She nodded her head a little too eagerly as she followed him into the forges. Suddenly, the heat hit her and she wished for a moment she had got topless as well, but that might have become awkward. "So are we melting them?" she asked as she tore her eyes away from Leon to look him in the eyes.

[Leon Orcot]

Leon gave a smile and a nod at her answer, he was glad his rep would be covered here. He was a tough Army guy after all. He only had a few soft spots, and sad women were one of them. He noticed her sweat a little as the heat hit her and he laughed a bit. "You think it's hot now? Wait until I get the forges heated up good. This is just a mild heat from the work I did this morning. I know I'll be working up a sweat from this." He tilted his head at her question, yes, he supposed they were melting them down, but that wasn't all. Giving her a smile, he nodded his head and placed the jewelry on the workbench by the forges. "Yes, we will be melting them down, and more. But first, I need to pull these nice gems off of the metal. I have an idea for them."

Before he started to remove the gems, he turned back to the forges. He tossed more coal onto the current fire before he jump started it with his fire powers. He pumped the bellows twice before turning back to the bench. He was starting to build up a bit of a sweat from the new heat, and he was used to it, he spent most days in it. He removed a set of jewelers tools from the nearby tool rack and set to work pulling the gems off of the ring and the necklaces. He also cut the cord holding the pearls together and put them all aside in a small bin he kept on his part of the table. Reaching underneath he pulled out a small stone bowl with a long handle and a pouring spout on it. Placing the now bare metals into the basin, he turned back to the bellows and began to pump them until the forge was at the appropriate temperature. Turning to look over his shoulder at Harper, his muscles rippling with pumping the bellows, he said, "Now, you get to do the honors m'lady. Just grab that long handle and place the bowl into the center of the forge. The heat will do the rest." He gave her a reassuring smile.

[Harper Jones]

She’d be working up a sweat once he got the forges going? There were quite a few things that Harper wouldn’t have minded getting sweaty from, but those ideas were not good now. And Leon was looking so good and tempting without his shirt on, so she did the only thing logical as she watched him carefully pluck the precious stones out of her jewelry. She crossed her arms over her chest to give her some sort of physical barrier between her and Leon. There were ideas that were flashing through her mind and she didn’t know if that was because of him or the fact that she was feeling completely lonely for once. She was leaning towards the latter, since she barely knew Leon besides what she saw in front of her.

She watched him work as she took deep, steady breaths as she bit the corner of her lip. She focused on his hands, wondering how they would feel against her… Harper was dragged out of her thought as Leon presented a handle to her. She barely registered that the metal was in the bowl at the other end as she grabbed it and stuck it into the forge. “Am I doing it right?” she asked as she looked over at Leon as she gave him a weak smile.

[Leon Orcot]

Leon pumped the bellows a few more times, watching the coals heat up to the perfect temperature, right as Harper placed the stone basin in the fires. He wondered what felt off for a moment before he snapped his fingers. Turning back to his workbench, he pulled out a small radio from underneath it and turned it on. He gently set the radio down on the counter, as a song started to flow out of it. He nodded his head along to the beat of Uncle Kracker's Follow Me. He started singing the song out loud and turned back to the bellows. He noticed something that Harper was doing that he needed to fix really quickly before she burned her hands. He smiled back at her gently, noticing her own weak smile, and gently placed his hand over hers on the handle of the bowl. "Almost, just shift it a little closer in and then let go. I can hold this while it is hot, but I don't think you have the same fireproofing that I have. Don't want that beautiful skin of yours to be burned now, do we?" Her hands felt smooth compared to his rougher calloused hands. He rather liked the way it felt to hold them as he gently adjusted the bowl and pulled her hand away from it, holding it for a moment before he let it go. Gently shaking his head, he gave her another smile and pumped up the bellows again.

He suddenly realized that he didn't really know much about this beautiful daughter of Demeter. He flipped a mental coin before he decided it was a good idea to try and strike up a conversation with her. "So, what do you like to do? It's gonna take a minute for the metals to melt down to where I can use them, so I figure we can have a nice chat while we wait." He gave a small shrug, feeling his scarred chest ripple a little with the contained might that years of the Army and then forging and fighting have given him.

[Harper Jones]

Harper's heartbeat quickened and her breathing hitched as Leon put his hands over hers to correct something. She felt a fire within her and she had to tear her eye's away from Leon's, finding it hard to make eye contact with him at that exact moment. But shift it in a little closer and then let go? Harper did what he told her to do and she took a step back once her hands were off the handle. She crossed her arms over her chest as she dared to look up at Leon once more.

That's when he asked her a question. A question that she suddenly didn't know the answer to. What did she like to do in her free time? She could've named off several people in that moment, but she didn't know if he wanted to know. Besides, she doubted his question wanted an answer like that. What did she like to do? She opened and closed her mouth a few moments as she tried to think of an answer. "I... umm..." she muttered before she straightened up to look at him. "I mean... I like throwing jewelry? I tend to do that a lot if you couldn't tell."

[Leon Orcot]

Leon looked down at Harper, his face blank. He stopped pumping the bellows, just staring at the young woman in the forges with him. He blinked once, twice, three times, before he just started to laugh. He couldn't help it, it was a strange answer to his question. He stopped laughing after a second and smiled at her. "Indeed? I can see that you do. But what else do you do? Something you enjoy doing, no matter what's happening all around you. Me personally, I like to work on my car. I've almost got her flying now." He shook his head. He looked down into the bowl for a moment, seeing the metal had started to melt down. He turned back to Harper and gave her a dazzling smile, trying to get her to answer his question. It would still be a little while on the metal, and he was curious about her. She was a beautiful woman, and he wanted to get to know her better.

He walked back over to the counter where he had put all of the gems and pearls into the bowl and slowly took them out and placed them on the counter in front of him. He looked back over his shoulder at Harper and motioned her over to him. "Are there any of these that you absolutely don't want? I'm going to be making something out of this metal and these gems when I'm all done here. It'll be something to remember me by, not the fools who let you go and hurt you. Honestly, it's such a dumb move on their part, leaving a beautiful young woman." He murmured the last part mostly to himself, but it was loud enough that Harper ought to have heard it. He shot her a wink and looked back over the gems.

[Harper Jones]

Harper really didn't know if Leon would understand her sense of humor. She was sarcastic through and through, but it was definitely something that was apart of her and she couldn't get rid of no matter how hard she tried. Almost like that scar on her back. And she was worried for a moment that he wouldn't get it at all as he just stared at her blank faced, but it wasn't long before he busted out laughing. Harper smiled a bit as she giggled slightly. "I like to read," Harper said as she shrugged her shoulders before deciding to lean up against a nearby table. "And I like country music. I don't know what else to really do in my free time besides sleep... and maybe cry." She was only slightly serious about the last two, but it was something she found herself doing lately after the breakup.

But the mention of the jewels and pearls, Harper walked over to the table as she glanced into the bowl. She couldn't recognize one from the other so she just shrugged. "It really doesn't matter to me. I don't care about any of them now." She looked up at Leon to realize his face was super closer to hers as he muttered about her being a beautiful, young woman. Her face heated up and she should've turned away, but she found her eyes drifting down towards his lips.